Competition
by ConnivingVixen
Summary: The Wildcats come back for their final year and things are starting to look more interesting than ever. There's a new girl at East High and she's definitely one to look out for, sounds familiar? TG,CT,ZS,JK
1. Senior Wildcats

CHAPTER 1 – Senior Wildcats

** AUTHOR'S NOTE**: So, this is my first time to write something like this – much more for something like _High School Musical_. Well, it's just a little experiment. You know, one thing about me is I love to have my own character participate in my big story. I don't know why. Well, this one has another one of those. But please, I hope you read this first before you judge. I decided to write this after I saw_ High School Musical 2_ last August 17th. I just had a sudden brainstorm a while ago while on the subway. This is right after the_ High School Musical 2 _events. So, read on and I hope I get reviews!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was six in the morning when Troy Bolton opened his eyes to be welcomed by the bright sunshine. He groaned before rubbing his eyelids and removing the blanket that was covering him. He stood up and stretched a little before walking out of his door towards the bathroom. He passed by his parents' room and saw his dad putting his tie on. Troy greeted him good morning before hurrying off to the bathroom.

Inside, he looked at the mirror and sighed. He took his toothbrush and put on toothpaste on it. He looked beside him and closed the toilet seat cover before brushing his teeth. He went outside for a while and browsed around his messy room. He walked towards the closet and gave his clothes a once-over before picking out a blue shirt and faded jeans and putting them on one by one. He rushed back to the bathroom and spitted out. He gargled and washed his face. He smiled at his reflection before leaving for the stairs.

"Morning, Mom!" Troy greeted when he saw his mom setting the pancakes on the table.

"Ready for school, honey?" his mom asked.

"No and a little bit of yes," he answered as he dived in for his morning meal.

"I'm sure Gabriella will also be happy to see you in school everyday," his mom commented.

"Thanks, Mom."

"What's for breakfast?" Coach Bolton asked his wife as he entered the kitchen.

"Pancakes, dear. Now eat. You boys need a lot of strength for this first day of school."

The two male Boltons ate happily as Mrs. Bolton joined them. They chatted about the opening of the school and Troy's last year at East High School. Coach Bolton threw in a couple of ideas he had for new plays for the basketball team. Troy was both excited and sad for the coming year since it was his last year at East High and there was going to be a strong possibility that Gabriella and he would attend different universities; while he was happy because they were now to face a new year and the feeling of excitement just can't leave his bones.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I got Lab in third period and Spanish at fourth. That's the only classes that we're not classmates," Taylor told Gabriella as they discussed their schedules by her locker.

"I think I got Literature by third and Lab for fourth. Why did you take Spanish again?" Gabriella asked without even looking at her.

"It's because I don't want to challenge myself with critically acclaimed great literature pieces. You know I'm not so keen with English Literature. English class - I will be willing to take, but not English Lit."

"But you know, English Literature is a good class. I don't really see why you just can't learn to love it."

"Well, I don't think you'll ever understand since you're kind of part of one of William Shakespeare's famous pieces."

"What do you mean? Who?"

"Oh, none other than Juliet Capulet who's totally in love with Romeo. Speaking of which, here's Mister Romeo Montague now."

"Huh?"

"Hey, Taylor. Hi, Gaby," Troy Bolton greeted his two female friends.

"Morning, Gabs. Morning, Tay," Chad greeted too.

"Hi, Romeo and Chad. Well, I think I'm out of this picture. I think I'll go busy myself with my locker over here. Why don't you guys go to that corner over there and don't let us bother you," Taylor said, opening her locker and rummaging around.

"Very funny, Tay. Hi, Troy," Gabriella said, giving him a morning hug.

"Romeo? What's all that bout?" Troy asked, looking at Taylor in a questioning way.

"Forget about it. It's nothing," Gabriella said.

"So, how's your morning been?" Troy asked.

"Fine and you?"

"Great. I'm really excited for the new school year."

"And I'm excited for the Wildcat superstar's new moves for the upcoming basketball games."

"Oh, I'm getting ready for that."

Taylor closed her locker door and signaled to Troy and Gabriella that she and Chad were going on ahead to Homeroom. Gabriella took her English book before closing her locker door. She smiled at Troy and both walked towards their Homeroom class.

"Summer was definitely fun. I enjoyed it a lot. Although I had fewer designer outfits from Paris, it was all fun!" squealed Sharpay at Kelsi. "Oh, Morning Taylor, Chad, Troy, and Gaby!"

"Good morning, Sharpay," all of them said in chorus.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Ryan asked, approaching the group.

"Hey, Ryan. How's our _Star Dazzle_ awardee been?" Troy asked.

"Oh, I'm all good. By the way, come back with us to Lava Springs next summer. I'm sure Fulton will be happy to see you guys again. As for me, it's been fun; Shar's been helping me get along with the big ego thing. You know, she's really good at it. I never noticed," Ryan said, making a look of amazement.

Sharpay looked at him with a weird look. The group glanced at the twins before bursting into a load of laughter. Ryan looked a little bit confused before joining into the laughter of his new-found friends. Sharpay just couldn't help herself and joined in too.

"Okay, Wildcats get seated. Mister Danforth, for the last time of your last first day here at East High, this is a classroom, not a hockey arena. Keep that ball away. I'll make this as quickly as I can. Bulletin boards have all the information you need on this year's activities. The Scholastic Decathlon Team is now recruiting new members for next year's Scholastic Decathlon Winter Competition. Juniors, sophomores and freshmen are all welcome to join, so if any of you know anyone who is qualified to join the team, just talk to Chemistry Club president Taylor McKessie for details. And for the Drama Club, we are now gearing up for our winter musicale which will be opened late this year. As I believe it will be right before the Christmas holidays. So we shall have our auditions by early next month for us to be able to rehearse more. This school year will be your final year at East High so you will all have to participate in our Spring Musicale by the coming spring. No one is exempted; especially since you have me as your Homeroom teacher. Is that clear, Mister Danforth?" Ms. Darbus discussed and asked.

"But, Ms. Darbus, that's not fair. Not all of us have the confidence and face to wear a leotard like Troy here," Chad defended, partly making fun of Troy.

"Hey, I did not wear a leotard on the Twinkle Towne musicale!" Troy said.

The class laughed at what Troy had said. Indeed, he did not wear a leotard on the Twinkle Towne musicale, but they just couldn't resist making fun of him on his costume of Arnold at that time. He looked like a reject out of _Pride & Prejudice_.

"Okay, break it up. Like what I had just said, Mister Danforth, no exceptions. But we shall discuss that after the winter musicale. Now, for the basketball team, this is year, as you all know, will be the last year of our team's valued members such as Wildcat superstar here, Troy Bolton. And since this will be your last year, I have a proposal for you and your basketball posse."

"A proposal? What kind of proposal, Mr. Darbus?" Troy asked, confused.

"If you manage to get us the championship this year, as your parting gift from me, I shall give you an immediate A; but only if you manage to win the championship and submit a twenty-page research paper. So, what can you say, Mister Bolton?"

Troy looked behind him to Chad who was all smiles after hearing Ms. Darbus' proposal. He looked at Zeke then to Jason who both gave him a thumbs-up in agreement to Ms. Darbus' proposal. He glanced at Gabriella who smiled at him.

"Okay, Ms. Darbus, we accept, and thank you. Thank you very much," Troy said, facing Ms. Darbus with a smile planted on his face.

"Don't thank me yet, Bolton, not until you have won the championship and submitted that research paper of yours," Ms. Darbus said, walking back to her chair. "Now, my last announcement would be this: I'd like to introduce to you your new classmate, Michelle Richards. Michelle, please, do come in."

Suddenly, a girl with long black hair and frame-less glasses entered the room. She was brandishing a small smile on her face. Ms. Darbus smiled brightly at her and made her face the class to introduce herself. Gabriella and Taylor looked at her with curiosity. They thought they have seen her somewhere before but just couldn't point out where.

"Good morning to all of you. My name's Michelle Richards. I came from Los Angeles, California. I used to study in LA High. This will be my first time in Albuquerque so I'm really looking forward to meeting new people around. I hope I can contribute much in this class and in this school. Thank you," Michelle said, smiling towards all of them.

The class all gave her a round of applause. She looked around and saw faces smiling at her. Some were even observing her and giving her a once-over. Sharpay was obviously checking out her outfit that was simple but not as cheap as it seemed to be. _Gucci. How slick._

"I hope you will all make Michelle feel as welcome as she can get. Next day, Michelle, you may sit here in front, you, move to the back tomorrow, since I know that you have difficulty in seeing, even with that glasses of yours. Now, off with you all and I shall see you in English and English Literature later. You Senior Wildcats need to enjoy every bit of your stay here at East High," Ms. Darbus said, dismissing the class as the bell rang.


	2. Too Much Information

CHAPTER 2 – Too Much Information

"What do you guys think about our new classmate Michelle?" Taylor asked, setting her tray of food on the table and sitting down in-between Gabriella and Chad.

"She seems kinda nice. I got no problem with her," Chad said, taking a bite off his sandwich.

"Yeah, Tay. She seems okay to me, but I can't shake this feeling that I have seen her somewhere before," Gabriella said, playing with her greens.

"I know! That's exactly what I thought of when I saw her! I just can't remember where or when," Taylor said.

"Well, whoever she is, she's is not listed in my book. I have never seen her before," Sharpay said, getting into the conversation.

"What do you mean?" Kelsi asked.

"She's wearing _Dolce and Gabbana_ for a shirt and _Calvin Klein_ for jeans, and she's even wearing a _Gucci_ wristwatch! Where did this girl get that expensive of clothes?"

"Don't you have those brands of clothes in your closet too?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, but she's got the limited edition clothes! I mean, I don't even have those! Those things cost a fortune! How in the world did she get those? And let's not forget her _Jimmy Choo_ shoes that were in his Spring Collection! That one's very rare!"

"Now we clearly see that Sharpay is just jealous of her clothes and shoes," Kelsi said.

"I am not!"

"No need to deny it, Shar. Everyone knows how true that is," Ryan said while chewing his food.

"Ryan, you're supposed to be helping me out here."

The group laughed. Sharpay pouted at Ryan's apathy over the subject matter. Zeke tried to console Sharpay by offering her some brownies that he had baked that morning. Ryan just grabbed the brownies away from Zeke when Sharpay said she didn't want to eat it.

"What about you, Troy? You've been awfully quiet about this matter," Gaby suddenly said, looking at his boyfriend who was busy eating his lunch.

"Huh? Well, you guys didn't technically ask for my opinion so I thought I'd just keep quiet about it. But if you ask me, she seems fine with me. Normal just like most of us. I don't think I'd have any trouble with her," Troy said, still busying himself with his lunch.

"See, Shar? Even Troy agrees with us," Taylor said.

"Of course he'd agree with you. As long as Gaby says she's okay with it, Troy would say that too. Plus, I did not say that she's bad. I just said something is fishy about her. Where did she say she was from?" Sharpay asked. (**AN**: The movie! Haha!)

"Los Angeles, California. She studied in Los Angeles High School - no questions with that. Wonder why she moved," Ryan said.

"Maybe she got kicked out of her school," Chad side-commented.

"Maybe, she's running away from a crime," Jason said, joking.

"Okay, break it up, you guys. Let's not think about that too much, okay? As long as she's new here, might as well get to know her. Just like what Ms. Darbus had said, let's make her feel welcome. Besides, as long as she's not bothering us, let's just not let the matter of her transfer here stress us. Hey, it's a new year and our last year at East High. Let's make the most out of it, okay?" Troy said, ending the discussion about Michelle.

"Ooohhh, Captain's getting into his leader form again," Chad teased.

"Drop it, Chad," Troy said, laughing at his buddy.

Kelsi suddenly spotted a familiar face walk into the cafeteria, holding a tray of food. She whispered to Martha and Martha looked up to where Kelsi had said she spotted her. Martha told the group and all of them carefully looked to where she had pointed.

Michelle was standing a few feet away from Troy and his friends' table, holding her tray of food. She looked around for any empty chair that she could sit it. In her eyes, it seemed that everyone was not caring about her presence. Although some have already acknowledge her being there, they still did not invite her to sit anywhere near them. Michelle sighed and walked away. She left the cafeteria and decided to eat somewhere else.

Gabriella, at that moment, wanted to run after her and invite her into their table. She knew how Michelle felt because she had that feeling for the past five years of her life. But somehow, she was not able to pluck the courage to stand up. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because she was still wondering about who Michelle really was and where she saw her. She just didn't know.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Troy was walking through the hallway of East High. He had just dropped off Gabriella to her English Literature class with Ms. Darbus. He was going to his locker to get his Math book. It was after lunch and he was off to his Math class. He walked towards his locker and swiftly opening it after getting the combination right. He grabbed his Math book and immediately closed the door of his locker. He turned around and was about to go straight for the Math room when he spotted Michelle looking around as if trying to find something. Troy glanced at the clock on the wall beside one of the rooms and to his book. He sighed and walked over to where Michelle was.

"Hi," he said. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh, I was just looking for my next class. It's about to start and I'm afraid I'm kinda lost around this school," she answered, showing him the paper of what seemed to be the schedule of her classes.

"Let me see, your next class is," Troy began, looking at the paper she was holding. "Math. That's also my class."

"Really?" she asked. "Can you tell me where the room is?"

"Better yet, why don't you just come along with me? I'm about to go there anyway."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"Hey, it's no problem. We both have the same class anyway. Besides, Ms. Darbus did say to make you feel welcome. And this is my gesture. Come on, before the bell rings."

"Thanks, uhm, what…?"

"It's Troy, Troy Bolton."

"Yes, thanks, Troy. By the way, I'm Michelle. Well, I think you already know that," she said while they continued to walk through the hallway.

"I don't think I paid that much attention," Troy joked, making the two of them laugh a little. "Seriously, nice to meet you, Michelle."

"You can call me Mitch. My friends back at Los Angeles used to call me that."

"Well, Mitch is it then. Oh, here we are. So, just pick out any chair you'd want to sit in. Well, it was nice to meet you again, Mitch. I'll see you around and in class too," Troy said, smiling at her and entering the room and walking where Chad, Zeke and Jason were goofing off.

Michelle smiled at the retreating back of Troy and entered the room. She looked around and saw that everyone was busy amongst themselves. She sighed and walked towards the chair nearest the door. She scanned it over and decided that it was unoccupied. She set her books on the table and placed her bag on the chair. She sat down and stared on the blackboard. She didn't know what to do. _I feel so stupid right about now._

"Okay class, sit down now," the teacher said as she entered the room, making everyone quiet down and sit down on their seats. "I'd like to tackle down Algebra today with rational equations as our first topic. To start off, a rational equation is an equation that contains at least one rational…"

Troy didn't know how long the teacher had been discussing what rational equations were. He was not paying much attention to whatever it was that she had said or was still saying. His thoughts were filled with Gabriella and about the auditions for the winter musicale. He didn't know if she'd want to try out and he wanted to ask her I she did. _I should ask myself if I'd still continue with this singing._

"Okay, now, who will come up here to show their solution on this problem?" Troy heard the teacher ask. "What about you, Mr. Bolton?"

Troy immediately looked up, shocked after hearing his name being called by the teacher. He looked at her and then around the class as if asking for anyone to help him get out of this. _Uh, what problem? Man, I was not paying attention. _

"Well, Mister. Bolton?" the teacher asked.

"Uhm, well, Miss Hamilton, you see, I…uhm, what I…" Troy said, staggering at his words.

"Come on now, Mister. Bolton. Let's see what our Wildcat captain can do besides singing and jump shots."

"But I…"

"Come now."

Troy stood up from his seat and walked towards the board. He took the chalk that the teacher was handing him and walked closer to the board. He stared at the equation written down on it and gulped. _What were we discussing again? Rational what? How the heck am I supposed to solve this?_

"Miss Hamilton, may I also give my solution?" Troy suddenly heard a familiar voice ask.

"Why, of course. Go up there and help Mister. Bolton. Two minds are better than one after all," the teacher said.

Troy was now standing beside Michelle. She smiled at him and took the chalk on the teacher's table. She started to write on the board a very complicated equation that Troy and the rest of the class had no idea about. She whispered something to him and he immediately wrote, what she had said, on the board. Troy had no clue whatever it was he was writing. _Whatever this is, I just hope this is right._

"Okay, now, why don't you two explain what you have done?" the teacher said after seeing them finish off their work.

Troy gulped and felt himself starting to sweat. _Explain?! I don't even know what the heck this topic is all about!_

"Yes, Miss," he heard Michelle say.

Troy looked beside him and saw Michelle giving him a small smile before signaling him to go over by the blackboard. He walked and stopped just beside the written solution on the board. He stood there and wondered how he was to survive it now.

"As you can see, the given problem is this (insert problem here)"

Michelle began. "The common denominator here will be _x_(_x_ – 2). I can solve this equation by multiplying through on both sides of the equation by this denominator:

10 + 4(_x_ – 2) 5(_x_)  
10 + 4_x_ – 8 5_x_  
4_x_ + 2 5_x_  
2 _x _

Or I can solve by converting to the common denominator and then solving the numerators:

10 + (4_x_ – 8) 5_x_  
10 + 4_x_ – 8 5_x_  
4_x_ + 2 5_x_  
2 _x_

Either way, the answer is:

_x_2."

"Well, very good work, you two. I now know that you indeed have paid attention to my lecture. You may take your seats now," the teacher said, very impressed at their work. "And welcome to East High, Miss Richards. I have heard so much about you from the principal and my fellow teachers. Uh, yes, you over there. Is it Jason? Yes, what is it?"

"What have you heard about her, Miss Hamilton?" Jason asked, making the class groan out in annoyance.

"Well, since you have asked. Miss Richards here was a scholar student at her previous school in Los Angeles. She was the brightest of the brightest; garnering numerous recognitions and awards for most of her stay in LAHS. She was nominated valedictorian until she moved to Albuquerque, making her nomination void. She is also a gifted figure skater - competing and winning in different competitions around the country. A straight- A student and a well-behaved one too. What more can you ask for?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'd say what more I could ask for: another championship trophy this year!" Chad said, sort of answering their Math teacher's side-question a while ago.

"I don't think that's what the teacher meant by that question, Chad," Troy said.

"Whatever. Look, I don't really care whatever statistics or record hold that girl is has on her transcript. My mind's all buckled up for this year's championship game."

"Yeah, me too. But anyway, that's besides the point. Mitch totally saved my life out there! I thought I was going to go dead when the teacher suddenly called my name."

"You were obviously sweating badly in front," Zeke commented, making all four of them laugh.

"I know! Good thing she saved me from that demise. I owe her one."

"Wait, let's go back in track a few second, okay? Did you just call her 'Mitch'?" Chad suddenly asked.

"Yeah, why? What's the problem with that?"

"Since when did you start calling new kids their pet names?"

"Come one, that's low, Chad. I just happened to have talked to her on the way to class and she told me to call her by that name since her friends used to call her that. It's nothing!"

"Okay, let me rephrase that: Since when did you start becoming her friend?"

"What's wrong with being her friend?"

"Three freaky genius friends are already enough for us, Troy. Don't add one more."

"First of all, Gaby is not a freaky genius girl, neither is Taylor and Martha; they're just really smart and hard-working. And Taylor is seriously going to hear about this. Second, she is definitely not freaky. She's just like us, Chad! She's normal. Last, let's not go into dumb and dumber mode again, dude. We all know she's not so bad."

"I understand your reasoning, but I'm still not convinced about this Michelle girl. But I give up on trying to argue with you. It's your call anyway, Captain."

"Okay, you gotta stop getting into that basketball player mode. I'm the son of Jack Bolton and I was given a name by my parents. It's called Troy, understand?"

The four of them laughed out loud and continued on to their respective classes. Troy smiled all the way to his class. It was almost end of the day and Gabriella promised that she would watch a movie with him that afternoon at his house. He just couldn't wait.


	3. East High Baby

CHAPTER 3 – East High Baby

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: For those who are asking, this is surely a Troy/ Gabriella fanfiction. No doubt about that. By the way, thanks for those who read my fanfic. Definitely owe you one! This is my third chapter. Hope you like it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pink jelly? Why pink jelly?" Gabriella asked Jason when they were discussing about what Troy had told him during the time when he got back from his New Year's vacation.

"I dunno. That's what he said. You two were the ones together that day. You tell me," Jason said.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" Troy said, entering the room.

"Hey! Good morning to you, Mister Bolton. You seem happy this time of the day," Gabriella said as his boyfriend gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Hey, it's just our second day. What's there to be unhappy about?"

"You're too much, Troy."

"But you love me for that, don't you?"

"No, I don't," Jason said, getting into the lovers' conversation.

"Yeah, that's right, Jason. You don't love me, okay?" Troy said, trying to sound normal.

Gabriella laughed at Troy's words. She knew that Troy was just really happy about the outcome of everything. After the controversial musicale auditions, the crazy roller coaster ride that was performing the leads in Twinkle Towne, the arguments they had, the whole Lava Springs fiasco, the talent's night, and the pool party, everything just suddenly fell into place. Gabriella felt at peace.

"So, Troy," Gabriella began when Jason left them. "I heard from Chad that Michelle saved your life during Math class."

"Oh, yeah, she did. She has totally saved me from a sermon from the teacher. I didn't know she was good in math! She's pretty good, you know. She's really not so bad," Troy said.

"She does seem nice. But for some reason I just can't really shake this feeling that I have seen her before. She looks oddly familiar."

Suddenly, Michelle walked inside the room. She glanced around shyly before approaching her desk. She sat down immediately and remained quiet in her seat. Troy and Gabriella looked at her with sympathy. They knew that no one had even made friends with her aside from Troy, who, really, had just talked to her and did not go beyond that.

"Look at her!" Sharpay whispered a little loud when she suddenly came over. "She is wearing a _Prada_ shirt with _Sergio Valiente_ jeans! Why?! Why is she wearing those?"

"Sharpay, calm down. So they're designer clothes. What's the problem with that?" Gaby asked, giggling at Sharpay's expression.

"Uh! How did she manage to get a hold of those clothes? I can not even have those clothes! Uh!" Sharpay burst, walking away from the two.

"Mom and Dad wouldn't give her their credit cards for her to buy brands like those for clothes. Maybe once in a while, but not in her range of shopping," Ryan explained, making Gabriella and Troy nod in understanding.

"Oh, the life of the rich," Troy said as Ryan left. "Is all so unfortunate."

"Please, Troy. Don't use 'rich' and 'unfortunate' in one sentence. They don't go well together," Gabriella said.

"I never expected the rich to have problems."

"Problems in how to spend their fortune."

"Now that's just redundant."

The lovers laughed at themselves for making tiny jokes about the rich people. They knew that they would never have those kinds of problems. They were normal. They were mere people stuck in a crowd with complex personalities and different points of view.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, Tay. I'll see you later. I'm just gonna go to the library to kill some time. I'll see you for lunch. Bye!" Gabriella said as she waved goodbye to her best friend.

Gabriella smiled and walked towards the direction of the library. She continued to read her notebook while walking, just to check up on what she wanted to look for in the library. On the way, she passed by the auditorium and saw that the door was slightly opened. She strode over to the door and took a peek inside. She decided to look further in for anyone who might've left it open. She was surprised to find Michelle walking towards the stage. Gabriella looked closer and noticed that she was looking around the auditorium, as if observing it.

Michelle walked towards the center stage. She became curious as to what the East High auditorium looked like when she saw posters for the upcoming auditions for the winter musicale. She walked around the halls and found the door to the auditorium. She walked inside and saw that no one was in sight, and decided to have a look around. _So this is the East High auditorium. It's very nice. A little bigger than ours._ She walked up the stairs to the stage and carefully looked around. She let her hand brush through the auditorium's piano as she passed by it. She lifted the cover and stared at the keys. She took the piece that she saw lying on the piano's lid and placed it on its stand and sat down on the chair, setting her hands just above the keys. She breathed in a little and started to play. She closed her eyes and listened to the very melody she was playing.

Gabriella had been following her every move with her eyes. She smiled when she saw Michelle sit down in front of the piano. She quietly went walked towards the nearest chair from her and sat down. _It's "Breaking Free"._ She kept her eyes on Michelle and listened intently to the melody of the very song she sang with Troy on the day of the callbacks.

"It's a beautiful song," Michelle said as she finished off.

She stood up and placed the piece back to where she found it. She closed the piano's lid and pushed the seat back in place. She let her hand brushed through the piano once again until she heard clapping from the back of the auditorium. She turned around and saw Gabriella walking towards her. She waited until Gabriella reached her on the stage before confronting her.

"How long have you been there?" Michelle asked, shocked to have seen Gabriella.

"Long enough to discover that you are a good pianist. That was amazing, Michelle!" Gabriella said, giving her a bright smile.

"Thanks, but that was really lame. I haven't played for a long time. It was just a try."

"No, that was just great! Just like how Kelsi used to play it. I didn't know you could play the piano. I guess that's another thing on the list."

"List? What list?"

"Your list of achievements. Adding to that is your outstanding academic records, awards, recognitions, what else is there? You're really amazing!"

"I was actually trying to bypass telling people that fact about me when I entered East High."

"Why?"

"Our family moved here to start a new life. We wanted to get away from the past that we had left behind in Los Angeles. I wanted to leave my past. I wanted to leave it all behind in LA."

"But why? Your life seems to be so great back there. Why desire to leave it all?"

"Have you ever felt like you're this person because everyone is happy in the way you are?"

"Yes, but, what's the problem with that?"

"Why? Why desire to please everyone?"

"Why not, Michelle? I mean, if they're happy being your friend because you're that way, why not just let it be?"

"But why do you have to please everyone? Why won't you just do something because you want to do it to please yourself?"

"I…I never thought about that. Is that why you wanted to leave everything behind?"

"I got tired of doing those things for the satisfaction of my school, my family, and my so-called friends. I left it all behind because I don't want to be everyone's perfect girl anymore."

"I understand how you feel, Michelle. I've been there; except I was never really perfect in any way, but basically, I know. It really is hard. I was the freaky math girl back in my past schools, but, here, I'm just me; and my friends love me for that. And I know they will love you for who you are too. You don't need to please any of these Wildcats. You just have to be yourself. That's what a true Wildcat is."

"That's exactly what my mom told me when we moved here in Albuquerque. Being a Wildcat herself, she knew firsthand."

"Your mom graduated here at East High?" Gabriella asked in shock as the two began to walk down the stage towards the exit.

"Yeah, she was an East High girl. Valedictorian during her days," Michelle said humbly.

"Wait, is your mom Brigitte Margo?"

"Yes, that is my mom's name. How did you know?"

"That's why you look so familiar! Your mom's the East High girl who graduated as valedictorian and also as the Homecoming Queen, Prom Queen, and Spring Fling Queen. You look exactly like her. The facial features are undeniably similar. Now I know where you got your genius genes. You're like East High's newest baby or something."

"East High's new baby? What's that supposed to mean? The new puppet or something? It's not really in the genes, you know. It's more of hard work mix with buckets of blood, sweat and tears."

Both girls laughed at what Michelle had said. They continued to chat away until they got out of the auditorium, just in time to be welcomed by the ringing of the bell. They both looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already time for lunch. They didn't know that they had been talking that long. (**AN: **It's like the saying, "Time flies when you're having fun". So, don't wonder why it's so fast.)

"It's lunch," Gabriella stated.

"Yeah. So, I better go now. It was nice talking to you, and thanks," Michelle said.

"Same here. By the way, my name's Gabriella Montez. I'm actually one of your classmates during Lab class and Homeroom."

"Nice to meet you, Gabriella; and I do know you are my classmate. You're Troy Bolton's girlfriend, right?"

"Uhm, yeah, I am. How'd you know?"

"It's kinda obvious. You're quite popular at East High."

"That's the price of dating Troy."

"Everything comes with a price. But, you look great together, really. Well, I better go ahead. I'll see you later. Bye!"

"Wait, where are you going? Aren't you going to eat lunch? Why not just join us?"

"I don't want to meddle in your group. But, thanks for the offer, Gabriella. I'll just go on ahead. It was really nice talking to you. I'll see you around," Michelle said, quickly walking away from Gabriella.

"But…" Gabriella tried to call out.

"Hey, Gaby! Ready for lunch?" It was Troy Bolton who suddenly asked.

"Troy!" Gaby exclaimed, shocked at his sudden appearance.

"Woah! You look like you've seen a ghost! What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. Uhm, let's go for lunch?"

"Yeah, let's."


	4. Two in One

CHAPTER 4 – Two in One

It has already been three weeks since East High opened its doors for the return of its beloved students. And for the past weeks, things have been going as smoothly as it can be. Sharpay and Ryan had already geared up for the upcoming auditions, Taylor and Gabriella were already posting the information sheets for the Scholastic Decathlon team's recruitment week, and Troy and Chad were already pumped up for the start of their basketball training and their soon-to-begin tryouts for the new players of the team.

"Next week's already the auditions. Ms. Darbus is already freaking out like mad. I don't see the point in all the drama," Sharpay said as they entered the homeroom.

"All the drama? Sharpay, did something hit you on the head" Gabriella joked around, setting her bag on her table.

"It's no surprise that Ms. Darbus is freaking out about it. She's down to work on two plays this year. Surely the pressure is getting onto her," Taylor said.

"Hey, Kelsi! You okay?" Troy said when he saw Kelsi approach them.

"Ms. Darbus and I are starting to kill ourselves with the upcoming auditions. I was assigned to compose the songs for the two plays and I still have to add myself a role on the second play. I've already finished the songs for the first play but I'm still in coordination with the scriptwriter about both plays. I'm getting so confused!" Kelsi exclaimed, giving off her negative vibe.

"Calm down, Kelsi. Breath, breath, breath. Relax yourself. I know you're having a hard time. The pressure's in every one of us. Sharpay and Ryan here are not only gearing up for the auditions of the winter musicale but they're also getting ready for the auditions for the new members of the Drama Club. Troy and Chad here have probably the worst pressure of all since they are vying for the championship this year and they're still in the process of opening the tryouts for new members, while Gaby and I here are getting ready for the Scholastic Decathlon and the recruitment for new members. Every one is really in the pressure zone here," Taylor explained.

"I know! It's just all too much. Senior year's really tough."

"Hey, Tay, why don't we ask Michelle to join the Scholastic Decathlon team?" Gabriella suddenly said, diverting from the topic.

"Michelle Richards? The black-haired cheerleader type chick who has the makings of the new heroine of a Jane Austen novel?," Taylor asked in a sarcastic tone. "Well, she does seem qualified."

"Qualified? Are you kidding me? Have a look at her transcript here," Gaby said said, handing her a brown envelope.

"Are you sure this is a transcript? It's like a month's record of child births in Albuquerque."

"Well? What can you say?"

"Hmm…Okay. Let's ask her later."

"Great! You'll definitely not be disappointed."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Troy just got out of his Math class and there were no more classes for the day since the remaining teachers he had classes with were all called out to attend a teacher's convention in West High. He casually walked to his locker and tossed in his Math book. He closed the door and leaned his back on the locker beside his. _What to do? What to do? Gaby still has two more classes to go; plus, her Chemistry Club meeting and Scholastic Decathlon meeting too. I got no practice today and Chad said he had to go home and help his dad clean out the garage. Ryan's definitely going to practice with Sharpay or have a meeting with the Drama Club or something. Now what am I supposed to do? God, I miss Gabriella. I wish she was with me right now. Then I won't have to worry on how to kill off my excess time here. _

Troy started to walk, knowing not where he was to go. He leisurely walked around the campus. He stopped ever so often to read the bulleting boards – just to kill off the time. He passed by the Music Room and remembered how he used to rehears with Gaby and Kelsi way back then. He smiled to himself and extended his hand to the doorknob until he heard a melody playing from the inside. He peeked in from the see-through glass of the door and saw Michelle playing the piano. He smiled and was about to leave when he suddenly heard her humming and preparing to sing. He looked back and quietly opened the door. The piano was now moved facing the wall that allowed no view of the door. Troy quietly closed the door behind him and took a seat on the hair he found just beside the door. He smiled and just sat there waiting for Michelle to begin. _I heard from Gaby that she can actually play the piano._ _Beauty and brains, now this. Let's see if this girl's got a knack for singing too._

"_**Put away the pictures.  
Put away the memories.  
I poured over and over  
Through my tears  
I've held them till I'm blind  
They've kept my hope alive  
As if somehow that might keep you here  
Once you've believed in a love forever more  
How do you leave it in a drawer?**_

_**Now here it comes, the hardest part of all  
Unchain my heart that's holding on  
How do I start to live my life alone?  
Guess I'm just learning,  
Learning the art of letting go.**_

_**Try to say it's over  
Say the word goodbye.  
But each time it catches in my throat  
You're still here in me  
And I can't set you free  
So I hold on to what I've wanted most  
Maybe someday we'll be friends forever more  
Wish I could open up that door**_

_**Now here it comes, the hardest part of all  
Unchain my heart that's holding on  
How do I start to live my life alone?  
Guess I'm just learning,  
Learning the art of letting go**_

_**Watching us fade  
What can I do?  
But try to make it through  
the pain of one more day  
Without you**_

_**Where do I start to live my life alone?  
I guess I'm learning, only learning,  
Learning the art of letting go."**_

Michelle played the remaining keys of the song and then stopped. She smiled to herself before taking a deep breath. She saw a few piano pieces on top of the piano's lid and browsed it over.

"That was just amazing," Michelle suddenly heard.

"Troy?" she said, turning her head around. "Wha…? How long have you been there?"

"You have an amazing voice. Why don't you audition for the musicale?" Troy asked as if not hearing what she had said.

"Troy, please. I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone that I was here. I'm sorry. I'll be going now," Michelle said, standing up and walking towards the door, until Troy took hold of her arm.

"Don't go. Sing for me once more," Troy said, his eyes filled with warmth.

"No, Troy. I'm sorry but I won't. Please, let me go," she said, her eyes filled with nothing more but that.

"Please, sing for me once more," Troy said, his eyes still fixed on her.

"No. Now let me go, Troy, please."

Troy stared into her eyes and found her to be serious and nothing more. He finally let her hand go but still had his eyes fixed upon hers. Michelle quickly looked away and left him, closing the door behind her. Troy remained standing there before finally shaking off his thoughts and sitting down on the chair again. He sighed heavily and smiled. _That was totally weird. It felt like a shock or something. Weird. But Michelle definitely has a great voice! She should really audition for the musicale. I'll talk to Ryan and Sharpay about it._Troy smiled to himself and glanced at the piano that had Michelle playing on just moments ago. _It's the start of something new._


	5. No Need For Help

CHAPTER 5 – No Need For Help

"Then why don't you ask her to audition?" Ryan asked Troy as they walked towards his locker.

"I did ask her, but she didn't say anything about it. I think she's mad at me," Troy said, leaning on the locker beside Ryan's.

"Well, by the way you have stated your story, I think you kinda scared the heck out of her."

"I know, and that's why I'm telling you this. I know she'll be great for the musicale and I want you to be the one to persuade her."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because, you're practically the other half of the Drama Club committee."

"And you're forgetting about Sharpay."

"I'm sure you can talk things over with her if you tried. Come on, Ryan. Trust me on this one. She's really good at it."

"Even if I manage to convince Sharpay to consider her, how sure am I that she'll even consider it herself? Troy, she ran away from you. I think that's a perfectly good explanation that she is in no way interested about auditioning for the musicale or for the Drama Club."

"You could try to…"

"Troy, either way you look at it, I don't think Michelle will audition for the musicale."

"Just try. Please."

"Fine, I'll do it, but only because I owe you for saving my life during gym class. But I can't promise you anything but that. Agree?"

"Okay."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michelle was busy cleaning her locker. It had already been almost a month since she had moved to East High and she decided that it was finally time top clean out her locker. She knew people would wonder about it but she really didn't mind. She was obsessive compulsive after all. After finishing off arranging her books in order, Michelle closed her locker and smiled to herself.

"Hi there!" a male voice from behind her suddenly said.

Michelle turned around to face her greeter and saw a blonde, smiling guy in front of her. She gave him a look of wonder before glancing around her to check if he was really pertaining to her.

"Hi, Michelle!" Ryan began. "I'm Ryan Evans. I'm your classmate in Homeroom and in French class."

"Oh, yeah, that's why you look familiar. Uhm, is there anything you need?" Michelle asked, giving him a smile.

"Yeah, I'll get to the point, okay? Troy spoke to me about your singing talents and the fact that you can even play the piano. So, I'm here to persuade you to audition for the upcoming winter musicale."

"I'm sorry, but, I'm not interested. Please excuse me," Michelle said, plainly; walking away from Ryan.

"Look, you don't know what I have gone through to convince Sharpay into considering you to audition for the Drama Club. Please, just listen to me for a minute."

"I'm sorry if you had to go through so much of a problem just to ask your sister to even consider me for your Drama Club, but I'm really not interested in auditioning for that club or the musicale. Please, just let me be."

"Michelle, I'm doing this favor for Troy. He's really convinced that you're an amazing singer. Please, just a think about it."

"I'm sorry, Ryan, but I have thought about it and I don't want to be in any musicale or club at this moment nor for any moment in my time here at East High. Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm sure your club, or any club here, is really great and all, but I'm really not planning on joining any clubs here. But thank you, really."

"If you're really sure about it then I won't force you with it anymore. But, if ever you change your mind, you know where to find me. I hope you really think about it," Ryan said, walking away from Michelle.

Michelle looked back at his retreating form. She sighed and looked sideways. She felt sorry for Ryan. She knew how long of persuasion he must have done with Sharpay – she heard about Sharpay's self-obsession from just about anybody at East High. Michelle sighed again and then started to walk. She wanted to find someone and seriously give him a piece of her mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ryan spoke to me awhile ago about considering Michelle for a place in the Drama Club," Sharpay told her two new best friends, Gabriella and Taylor, as they went to take their seats inside the lunch room. "I said it was okay."

"You agreed on it that easily? Are you sure you're not sick, Sharpay?" Taylor asked rather sarcastically.

"It's not a mistake, Taylor. She's really a good pianist. I heard it myself. But I'm not so sure about the singing though," Gabriella said, setting her tray on the table and sitting down.

"Ryan specifically told me that Troy was the one who suggested her," Sharpay said, taking a sip off her juice box. "Although I was seriously shocked about it, I guess if Troy says she's good for the club then just go for it. After all, Troy Bolton never lies."

"Troy? Gabriella's Troy? How does he know about that?" Taylor asked, her voice obviously filled with sudden annoyance after the discovery.

"Ryan was not clear with any explanation regarding it. He just said that Troy insisted on us to consider her. So, she must be that good if Troy is this persuasive."

"Gaby, do you know about this? Do you know that Troy is friends with this girl?"

"Taylor, what does that have to do with this?" Gabriella asked.

"It seems that the nickname calling is not the ending of their relationship. Maybe you should think about keeping an eye on your lunkhead basketball man."

"Taylor, Troy's just being the friend he should be. Michelle is new here and Troy just wants to make her feel at home and comfortable about her new environment. By the way, have you thought about what I asked you?"

"I approached her, but she said no. So, I left."

"Why? Why didn't you persuade her even more?"

"Gaby, I'm not gonna waste my time convincing someone who obviously is not interested in whatever business this school has. She may have been the best of the best during her days at LA High, but she has only managed to prove her snobbishness during her stay here. So much for contribution. I'm not a fan."

"Tay, that's just mean."

"I don't know, Gaby. I kinda side with Taylor here. Ryan just texted me and said that Michelle also declined our invitation. He said that he kept on persuading her, even going through, possibly, lengths of begging, but nothing worked – cold blooded rejection," Sharpay suddenly said.

"I rest my case, Gabriella. Come on, admit it to yourself. This girl does not strike you well. You had better keep an eye on Troy. And if he said that she's a really good singer and we know for a fact that she's academically gifted, then you'd better watch our, Gaby, 'cause you've got a new competition here."

"Taylor, she's not my competition, nor will she ever be. Mitch is just probably shy. Don't worry. I'll talk to her about it. I'm sure she was just taken aback by you and Ryan 'cause she's not familiar with you two. I'll talk to her about your offers. I'm sure she'll think about it."

"It's your decision, Gaby," Taylor said, ending their conversation. "By the way, here's the rest of the group now."

"Hi, girls," Chad said, sitting down beside his girlfriend Taylor. "Did we miss anything?"

"Nothing, really. Just a little girl talk," Taylor answered, smiling at him.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Gabriella asked Troy who was just standing behind her, playing with her shoulders.

"No, not really hungry. Have you seen Ryan?" I just wanted to-" Troy was cut-off.

"Troy," Michelle called out, making Troy and the rest look to where they heard the voice. "We need to talk."

"Mitch," Troy began. "Hey, what's up? Is there something wrong? Have you seen Ryan by the way?"

"Yes, I just spoke to him a few minutes ago," Michelle said, walking nearer to him and stopping just a few steps from his face. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"So, have you considered it?" Troy asked, convinced that she wanted to thank him for talking to Ryan about her. "Did you accept?

"Why did you tell him about that? Did I not ask you not to tell anyone? I thought you got it already with that statement."

"Mitch, what are you…?"

"Troy, I know you meant well when you talked to Ryan about me being in the Drama Club or something. But listen to me when I tell you this: I am not interested. I am not planning to join any club here. No thanks, Troy, no thanks."

"But you have a great voice! Just consider it for a moment, please, Mitch. I know you'd be great!"

"I said it before, Troy. I am not interested. Just let it be that way," Michelle said, walking away from him.

"Wait, just think about it carefully, Mitch! Look, I'm sorry if I told Ryan, okay. But, you really didn't have a say in it. Your voice was simply amazing. I just had to tell Ryan to consider you," Troy said, following her as she walks away; now everyone was looking at them.

"I had every say in it, Troy Bolton. You did not have a say in it!" Michelle argued, still walking.

"I just wanted to help! I wanted to bridge over the gap you had with everyone else! I'm sorry if I only wanted to be a good friend to you!" Troy argued back.

"Well, thank you very much for your help, Mister Bolton! But I do not need it."

"What else do you want me to do then?! Just let you live your life at East High feeling like a total nobody?"

"Unlike you, Troy Bolton, I have no desire to be famous in this school. I just want to live my life as normal and peaceful as it can be. I know you meant well, but you've made your move the wrong way. This is my life, Troy. And I will live it the way I want to live it. You, or anyone else, have no control over me. And if you can't deal with that, I'm sorry, but this friendship is only another waste of time," Michelle declared, completely walking away from him.

"But, Mitch…"

As Troy stood there in the middle of the lunch room, he stared at the retreating back of his new friend. He sighed and felt himself weaken._Did I really do something wrong?_ He felt his friends' presence behind him, not wanting to say anything. Gaby placed a hand on his arm, a gesture that meant she was there for him. Troy looked at her and tried to smile but Gaby saw right through him. Troy looked back to where he last saw Michelle and realized that _someone who could've been a good addition to everything good to me just walked away from my life. _


	6. Talk, Talk, Talk

CHAPTER 6 – Talk, Talk, Talk

It has been a week since Troy and Michelle had that school-shocking argument at the lunch room. The very next day since the event, Troy had remained quiet about it. Michelle had started to avoid him, even going to the extent of walking out of classroom first every end of class. Gabriella knew Troy was upset over this but she also knew that he didn't want to talk about it. She understood him, but she understood Michelle more. After all, she heard, firsthand, about Michelle's decision to leave LA for a more peaceful life here in simple Albuquerque.

"I got basketball practice this afternoon, Gaby. I'll just see you later after your meeting," Troy said, giving his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek before turning around to leave.

"Troy," Gaby called out before he got a chance to take a third step.

"Yeah, Gabs?" he asked, turning back to face her.

"We need to talk," she said, looking into his eyes.

"What is it, Gaby? Is there something you need? Something wrong?" Troy asked, his voice as plain as it can be.

"Troy, get a hold of yourself. You're acting like the whole world had just fallen upon you. This is not the Troy Bolton that I know. The Troy Bolton that I know fights for what he believes in. If he wants something, he goes to every length just to get it. He works hard for everything he wants to have. He doesn't waste his time sulking over spilled milk; instead, he stands up and faces the truth. But he moves on from it and tries his very best to correct his mistakes. Do you understand that?"

"Gaby, I don't get it. What are you saying?"

"Talk to her. Fix everything. I know you realize now what you have done. I know you meant well, and she knows that too. But sometimes, you just have listen to what others are telling you and not just make the move on your own. You meant well, Troy, we all know that. But in this case, she cannot accept your help. Don't make me explain why, baby. You have to ask her that because I am in no position to do so."

"Gabriella…"

"Troy, you have been my rock all this time and now I'm being yours. I love you and I can't stand seeing you like a total wreck. She's my friend too and I know she's okay with talking right now. Go and find her, Troy. Apologize and talk. Talk, talk, talk! Explain until you have no more words to say. Make her listen but don't force it, okay?"

"Thanks, Gaby. You're the best. You really are. I just love you so much," Troy said, pulling her close to him in a tight embrace. "I am surely not going to trade you for anything or anyone else."

"You better not," Gaby joked and laughed with him. "And I better go now. You should too, or Coach Bolton will get furious."

"Yeah, I'll go. I'll just meet you at the chemistry lab later, okay? I wanna go find Mitch after basketball practice."

"Of course that would be fine with me. Now go. I'll see you later. I love you. Bye!"

"I love you too," Troy said and gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the lips and one of his famous smiled before dashing away to the gym.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What is it?" Michelle asked, looking at Ryan who had just approached her.

It was already dismissal and Michelle had decided to kill off her time inside the auditorium like she did before. Only this time, she did not walk up to the stage. She decided to stay on the back of the auditorium and sit on one of the chairs to finish off her Math homework. While doing so, she suddenly sang a few bars off the piece she found on that same auditorium just the other day. She was like that. Being trained in the musical arts, she gained quite a talent for easily capturing the melody of every song she played or heard. After thirty minutes of being there, Ryan suddenly came out of nowhere and approached.

"I just want to talk," Ryan said, taking the seat next to hers.

"I'm busy," she said plainly.

"I know," he said, not leaving his seat.

"Why are you still here?"

"I said I wanted to talk."

"Didn't I say I was busy?"

"I can wait."

"What exactly do you want?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I'll wait until you finish."

"I'm done here. Excuse me."

"Oh, so you're done. Now we can talk."

"What? Talk about what?"

"The winter musicale auditions."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Here's your copy of the song for the first act. It's for the singles audition. And here is another one for the pairs audition – just in case."

"I don't need it. I said I won't audition. Did I not make myself clear?"

"I have full confidence in you, Mitch. I asked Ms. Darbus for this copy. It's the last one. She was very reluctant to give it to me, considering the fact that she does not know why I need another one when I already have a copy of my own. I had to seriously beg it off of her just so I can give it to you."

"So now I owe you, is that it?"

"I didn't say that. I just want you to have it. The auditions start this Wednesday. Callbacks will be next week. I'll see you then," Ryan said, standing up and preparing to leave.

"Why are you doing this?" Michelle asked him, standing up too.

"Last musicale, two new stars were born on that specific stage right there. Hidden talents were pulled out of inner souls. After seventeen school productions, I finally felt the wave of fulfillment wash over me the moment I found out that I was not going to play the lead, nor was Sharpay. I felt happy about it. I felt happy for those two because they found something that was given to them for special reasons. They discovered another part of themselves. And I want you to embrace that part of you too. Be the next Gabriella and go find your Troy," with that, Ryan walked off leaving Michelle confused at what he had said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Did I just hear you correctly, Gabriella Montez?" Taylor asked her best friend, shocked at what she had told her. "You just told your boyfriend to make up with your own competition?"

"Tay, she is not my competition. Besides, it's been a week already. Fights shouldn't be left on for that long," Gabriella defended.

"Then just let it be like that. Gaby, do you not understand that you have just sent the prey crawling back to its predator?"

"Michelle is not some predator and she is not after Troy, okay? She's Troy's friend and mine as well. Taylor, since when did you become sadistic?"

"I'm not sadistic. I just don't find her to be the type that you say she is."

"But she is and I know because I've spoken to her before. You just have to try to befriend her."

"Okay, Gaby, but because I trust you for saying that."

"I'll try to talk to her about the Scholastic Decathlon. Maybe she'll think about it if I asked her."

"Whatever you say, Gabriella."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was after basketball practice and East High's star player was walking along the hallways of East High looking for a black-haired girl who once saved his butt in Math class. _Where could she be? I wonder if she's still even here._

He turned left to the auditorium and saw someone come out from it. He quickly walked towards the person and got a good view on who it was. He smiled in pure victory when he realized that it was Michelle who came out of the hallowed hall.

"Mitch," he said in whispered tone but still managed to make her turn to him.

"Troy," she said for the first time after a week.

"Can we talk?"

"There's no need, Troy."

"Let me explain first."

"There's no need."

"Please, just let me-"

"I understand everything."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to explain. I should be the one to do that. I'm sorry I got angry at you for that small thing. I guess I was just really aggravated. You really can't blame me. I asked you not to tell anyone about me singing but you did, and that just disappointed me. But understand that I shouldn't have gone bonkers with you by just that petty thing. I'm really sorry. I hope you forgive me."

"Michelle, of course I would, but I'm just really confused right bout now. Why the sudden change?"

"I realized that you did not have any clue as to why I didn't want to join. And I just felt so stupid to have shouted at you like that – much more in front of the whole East High student body."

"It's no problem with me, Mitch. I understand that it was just a burst of emotion and I've also made a mistake. But, tell me, what is the reason?"

As Michelle related the same story that she had told Gabriella to Troy, she felt herself lifted of the burden. It felt like she was guilt-free. Troy listened intently to her story and realized, more now, his own mistake. _I am such a big loser._

"I am so sorry, Mitch. I didn't know," Troy began when Mitch had finished her story.

"More of the reason you shouldn't be sorry," Michelle assured him. "By the way, Ryan gave me this."

"Is that the audition piece for the winter musicale?"

"Yeah. He said he was giving to me this just in case I change my mind."

"You want me to have those? I'll keep them away for you."

"No, it's okay. I'll take these for myself. I'm thinking I'll need it."

"Need it for what?"

"The auditions begin this Wednesday. I only have today and tomorrow to memorize."

"Are you saying that you'll audition?"

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises. I got so much to do and I don't know if I'm ready for something as big as this."

"No way! You'll do great! I have an idea. Why don't I go call Gaby and we can help you with those songs?"

"That sounds great. Let's try that."

"Great! We'll meet you in the music room in ten minutes. Is that okay?"

"Sure. I'll see you then."

"This is great! We'll see you there! Oh, and by the way, thanks, Mitch!"

Michelle laughed as Troy almost hit a wall while running. He quickly turned right juts in time to avoid himself from an ugly collision with the wall. He ran as fast as he could to the Chemistry Lab to find Gaby there chatting with Taylor and Chad. He greeted them and quickly pulled Gaby away, saying something about Michelle and the music room. Chad and Taylor simply looked at each other, confused at Troy's sudden hyper activeness.

"Are you serious?" Gabriella asked after Troy had told him what he had discussed with Mitch.

"Yeah, and she's waiting for us at the music room. We're gonna help her with her songs," Troy quickly explained.

Gabriella laughed at her boyfriend's jolliness. She knew that he was back – back to the real Troy Bolton that she knew and loved. _Now this is the Troy I know. This really is the start of something new._


	7. This and That

CHAPTER 7 – This and That

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I'm happy that people are reading this little experiment of mine. The pacing of the story is really fast and that's why I get to update a lot. I'm not really used to the fast-paced storyline but I'm getting the hang of it. It was easier for me since there really were not much details about _High School Musical_itself except for the storyline of the characters. Anyway, hope I get reviews! And thanks to those who have given reviews! By the way, the musicale that I have picked out for this is the story of the movie _Twelfth Night_ or better known now as She's_ the Man_. But I have increased the participation of some characters; tweaked it just a bit. Hope you like it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"LEADS?!" Sharpay screamed when she saw the list of leads posted on the bulletin board.

"The roles are: Olivia Lennox – Gabriella Montez, Justin Drayton – Zeke Baylor, Monique Valentine – Sharpay Evans, Sebastian Hastings – Ryan Evans, Duke Orsino – Troy Bolton, and Viola Hastings – Michelle Richards," Ryan read out loud.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" Sharpay exclaimed. (**AN**: Teehee! Movie again!)

"I don't think so, Shar. This seems to be as real as real can be."

"There is no way that this is real. I mean, this is such a big mistake!"

"Okay, what's wrong?" Chad asked as he and the rest of his buds walked up to Sharpay and Ryan.

"This! And everything else in this world! Uh!" Sharpay exclaimed, walking away from them.

"Is this the leads?!" Chad asked in a loud tone, making Kelsi jump a little. "Since when did you audition for this kind of thing, Zeke?"

"I was curious! So I went to the auditions with Sharpay and Ryan; next thing I know I'm already listed here," Zeke defended. "Well, I can't back out now."

"You're one of the supporting leads," Kelsi said. "That's a big role."

"Now why is everyone suddenly singing show tunes and wearing leotards?!" Chad cried out.

"Kelsi, why didn't Gabriella get the lead?" Ryan suddenly asked her.

"Ms. Darbus said Michelle was perfect for the role, any way she looked at it. I can't really argue with that since I saw how good she sang out there. I don't disagree," she answered.

"But Troy got the lead guy role. That's just conflicting the story," Chad said, butting in. "Gabrielle should be the lead girl."

"But that's the final list, Chad. We can't do anything about that," Jason said.

"Hey, guys! What are you looking at?" Troy suddenly asked, coming up to them.

"You, Mister, just got the lead role for the winter musicale, again," Zeke said in a congratulatory tone.

"Hey, that's great! What role did Gaby get?" Troy asked.

"Supporting role," Jason said, earning stares from the group and Troy.

"Your new girlfriend just got the lead role with you," Chad stated in a sarcastic tone. "Happy?"

"New girlfriend? What are you talking about, Chad? I don't have a new-" Troy stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the list of leads. "Michelle got the lead."

"She had beaten out Gabriella and Sharpay for the lead," Kelsi said. "Sharpay's really upset."

"Don't worry about her, Troy. She'll get over it," Ryan said. "What you need to do now is find Gabriella and talk to her about it."

"Or better yet, find your new girlfriend and tell her to go climb Mt. Everest so she can abandon her role at the musicale," Chad said.

"What's wrong with Michelle getting the lead anyway? Look, if she made it then she stood out of everyone else. Just because Gabriella got the lead last musicale and Sharpay had starred in seventeen school productions doesn't mean that they can't be beaten out by just anybody," Troy explained.

"She's not just anybody, right, Troy?" Chad said. "She's Gabriella's replacement. So, Gabriella is more busy now than ever, which makes it hard for the both of you to spend time together. That doesn't mean you can just go off finding someone to take her place for a while. But lucky for you, Miss Perfect suddenly walked into your life."

"She is not. Chad, you know me better than this. I will never replace Gabriella for anyone else. Michelle is just my friend. So she got the lead, what's the big deal? This is not some weird thing that's connected in real life. This is showbiz. How can you connect this with my relationship with Gabriella and Michelle?"

"The big deal here is you give more importance to that girl than your girlfriend. Man, what's the big idea of helping her out with her audition piece? Has your brain gone haywire?!"

"There is nothing wrong with helping her! Since when was helping a big problem for you?"

"It's when this new girl gets in-between your relationship with Gabriella! For all we know she's not even who she says she is. Big answer, Troy! Taylor searched her out in _Google _and found out that she's LAHS school nerd. But many people doubted if she really was that smart. After all, her family is one of the richest in LA. For all we know she just bribed her way into East High, probably even the-"

All of them froze on their places when they saw Michelle staring at them, eyes wide with shock. Chad gave her a disgusted look before composing himself and looking away.

"Mitch…" Troy called out.

Michelle looked at him, tears starting to form in her eyes. Troy kept his eyes on her. She looked at all of them before running away and not looking back. Troy wanted to run after her but was pulled back by Chad, but let Ryan go after her instead. Troy watched as Ryan's retreating form became less and less seen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Have you heard the news?" Gabriella listened as Taylor asked her.

"What news?" she asked as they waited in the lunch queue.

"Michelle Richards got the lead in the musicale. She beat you and Sharpay."

"Oh? That's great! I knew Mitch could do it!"

"Hello? Aren't you even a bit annoyed by that fact?"

"Why should I? Mitch made it and that's just wonderful news."

"Troy got the lead guy."

"Then that's even better! They'd be working side-by-side so Mitch won't have a hard time."

"Gabriella, didn't we just have that talk about her being your competition? What if she steals Troy away from you?"

"Tay, Mitch is not like that. Believe me, she isn't. Besides, why do you insist that she'll try to steal Troy away? Have we not discussed that you're gonna be cool with her now that she's part of the Scholastic Decathlon team?"

"I was, until I found out the rumors about he in her old school."

"What rumors?"

"Well, you know about her being the school's genius chick, right? But behind those eyeglasses and medals, her secret has been revealed. Daughter of a millionaire businessman and a model-actress, who knows if she paid her way into the limelight?"

"Taylor, that's stupid. Mitch would never do that. And where did you get information about her family background?"

"I searched in _**Google**_. Anyway, I'm just saying that you better get a hold of Troy's arm firmly before someone else does."

Gabriella just laughed Taylor's statement off as they sat down to eat their lunch. Kelsi suddenly arrived and sat beside Taylor. She sighed heavily and just stared up at the ceiling. Taylor and Gabriella gave her questioning looks.

"What's wrong, Kelsi?" Gabriella asked.

"Troy and Chad just had an argument about Michelle getting the lead role and not you," she replied, sighing even more. "Troy got aggravated that Chad's acting like a kid."

"What? Why would they fight about such a simple thing?"

"Chad said that Michelle paid her way to the musicale. Troy got annoyed at that and things just started popping out, until Michelle heard everything and ran away, probably even crying."

"What? Where's she now?"

"Who knows? Ryan ran after her when Troy was pulled back by Chad. I just hope the musicale will go as smoothly as possible. It's already too stressful. Having background tension is adding more to it."

"I doubt it, Kelsi. Not until that role-stealer steps down from her unstable throne," Taylor said, taking a bite off her sandwich.

"Where's Troy?" Gabriella asked, ignoring Taylor's comment.

"He's probably at the auditorium. He said he wanted to check out the set."

Gabriella stood up and left the two by themselves. She was going to look for Troy. She wanted to talk to him. Everything was starting to fall into pieces again. _It's like what happened before. I gotta go fix this. I gotta go find Troy._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan Evans was panting. It was no surprise since he had almost ran a mile._For a girl, she runs fast._ He stopped just a few steps behind her and watched as she came to a fast halt. Ryan observed her as she her sniffles continued to ring in his head. He composed himself and walked up behind her. He sighed and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, making her turn around suddenly.

Michelle looked at the person who startled her. She saw none other than Ryan Evans staring into his eyes with concern and worry etched in them. Michelle couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes anymore and cried out everything. Ryan gently pulled her close to him and held her as she cried.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Troy?" Gabriella called out to her boyfriend when she saw him on the stage staring out into the empty chairs. "Are you okay?"

"Gaby," Troy said without looking back at her. "Do you remember when we first sang on this stage?"

"During the callbacks? She asked, now standing beside him.

"No, it was when we were about to audition but we were not entertained by Ms. Darbus because we were late, and then we saw Kelsi slipped on the floor so we…"

"Ran up here and helped her up. After that, we sang the song that Ryan and Sharpay sang, only with how Kelsi had arranged it. Yeah, I remember that very clearly."

"We got callbacks on that very same day. And then the next, everyone's freaking out about it."

"But we made it through everything, and we'll make it through this too, Troy."

"I know. I'm just worried. She's not as strong as you are."

"Michelle is strong, Troy. She managed to survive everything back in LA. She can do that here too."

"But she might get tired of it all. You know she moved here to start anew, and now this happens."

"She's strong, Troy. Don't believe the rumors about her. Michelle would never do something like that."

"I know. It's just… Chad's really bugging me. I mean, he even thought I was cheating on you with Mitch."

"I know. Taylor's at it with me too. But you know I don't believe that."

"Gaby, I just… I like Mitch. She's a good friend. I don't know how long she's going to last with all this pressure around her."

"Troy, I know you're worried, but in times like this, you have to be strong. We have to be strong. As of this moment, we are her only friends. She needs us."

"Yeah, she does. We have to be there for her, 'cause, that's what friends are for."

"You're acting like a child, baby. But yes, that's correct."

"Gaby, how come you know me so well?"

"Simple: I love you."

Troy smiled and turned around to face his girlfriend. He touched her face gently before coming close to her and hugging her. He kissed her forehead and held her tight. Gabriella simply smiled and whispered an 'I love you' to him.

"I love you too, Gabriella. I love you."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan sighed as he sat down and handed Michelle a can of soda he had opened for her. She took a sip and sat there silently, looking at the sight before him. Ryan smiled at her observant look before taking a sip off his soda can.

"This is Troy's stage. Basketball superstar and most popular guy at East High. No one else can compare to him," Ryan began. "That's why everyone went haywire when they found out the little Miss Montez managed to turn his word upside-down and made him sing in front of the whole East High populace. It was a shock, especially to me and Shar. But eventually, everyone learned to accept that truth. There's more to Troy Bolton than meets the eye. He's not just the basketball guy; he's also an aspiring singer. And now look, he's happily in love with Gabriella – the freaky math girl, and is starring in another school production. Who would've thought?"

"Yeah, who would've thought?" Michelle whispered.

"This school has had its share of coming-out-of-closet moments. You're just adding to the list. But one thing about you, Mitch, is that nobody knows anything about you. You're just you! So there really is no problem with you being the lead in the musicale. You have nothing to prove, Mitch, except for who you really are. If you really want to do it, then no one's stopping you. That part was given to you because Ms. Darbus knows you're perfect for it. Don't think about what they say. Just do what you have to do."

"…"

"It's going to be alright, Mitch. You'll do great."

"…"

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you want to tell me something?"

"…"

"Mitch?"

"Three years ago, I was a freshman at the Los Angeles High School. Back in my grade school, I graduated valedictorian with straight-As and a scholarship right in my pocket. But we moved to LA and that's where I continued my studies. After just a few weeks, I managed to become so popular for my brains, at the same time earning myself enemies, so-called friends and rumors. I was weak back then and I cried a lot whenever they talked about me. I was oblivious to the fact that my friends were nothing more than abusers who just wanted to get a hold of my brains and my family's money."

"…"

"Then I found out, but I didn't say anything. I just let them abuse me even more. Then one day, things just started to get rough. The head cheerleader of our school was shouting at me about flirting with her boyfriend, the school's basketball captain. She kept on pushing me and I just let her. We were outside that time and everyone just stared. Until my brother came and helped me. He was a school jock – very opposite from me. He pushed away the head cheerleader when he saw her pulling my hair while I was just left lying on the grass. On that same time, the captain of the basketball team, the head cheerleader's boyfriend, just happened to have walked by and saw the whole pushing thing. He quickly punched my brother right smack on the face. My brother fought back, but the guy just didn't want to give up. Suddenly, he pushed my brother on the street. My brother was hit on the head and had a hard time getting up. Then, I heard a sound I was dreading to hear and everything went bleak. I woke up and saw bandages all over me, but I couldn't say anything. I just went silent."

"Mitch…"

"My brother died defending me, Ryan. And I can't help but feel guilty for jot being able to do anything about it. I was weak. If only I were strong at that time, my brother wouldn't have died. If only…"

"It's not your fault, Mitch. Your brother just did what he had to do and what he wanted to do."

"Yeah, but his role as a brother did not listed dying."

"Is that what you're running away from, Mitch? You're afraid that people will hurt you again?"

"I'm okay with people not liking me. I'm used to that. I'm just scared; scared that I might lose another person in my life just because I wasn't strong enough."

"But you are strong, Mitch. You're as strong as strong can be. You just have to have the confidence. You don't need to physically fight back. You need to fight back the way Michelle Richards would fight back: with talent and brains."

"My talent and my brains are the only thing left in my life. I used to have my brother, now I don't."

"But you still got your parents."

"But it's not the same. You know that feeling that you can just share anything and everything to your closest sibling without any care in the world, because, you know that your sibling will always back you up even if you are at your lowest. That's how I feel about Troy. He's like, he's like my lost brother. He backed me up when everyone else just thought of me as another rich girl buying her way into everything. And, I don't want to lose Troy just because I was not strong enough to fend myself off of everyone's insults and mockery. "

"Troy's not the only person caring for you, Mitch. You've Gabriella. She helped you too, right? And, you got me here. Why'd you think I chased you all around East High?"

"Thanks, Ryan."

"Troy won't leave you, Mitch. Neither will I nor Gabriella. We'll back you up the way your brother would've. So pull yourself together and get on that stage and sing your heart out."

"You just said something that my brother would've told me."

"I did? Well, in that case, it's official."

"What's official?"

"I'm going to be your new brother; aside from Troy, that is."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Ryan, that's not exactly how I put it."

"No worries. I'm cool with it. You're better of a sister than Sharpay is anyway."

"Hey! I heard that!" Sharpay suddenly exclaimed, coming out of her hiding place.

"Shar? How long have you been there?" Ryan asked, shocked at seeing his sister.

"It doesn't matter. I heard everything you said, Michelle, and I'm sorry if I ever thought badly about you. Look, if you're looking for a brother, then you will need a sister. I'll take that job! So now, we're one big happy family!" Sharpay squealed, hugging Michelle tightly.

"Uh…that's great. Thanks, Sharpay. And Ryan too," Michelle said, giving Ryan a look of wonder.

Ryan laughed and was startled when Sharpay suddenly hugged him. He hugged her back and pulled Michelle towards them to have a group hug. The three smiled and walked out of the auditorium together. Practices were about to start tomorrow and they needed to prepare for the welcome of a new star.


	8. Good Christmas Cheer

CHAPTER 8 – Good Christmas Cheer

"So, tomorrow's the day. Are you ready?" Troy asked Michelle as they rehearsed their songs inside the music room.

"I'll be honest with you and tell you that I'm not ready yet," Michelle replied, playing with the keys of the piano.

"I can't believe that a week from now will be Christmas Eve. Time sure flies fast. I wish I could just go back in time and rehearse even more," Troy said, sitting down beside her and playing with the piano keys. "How do you do this piano thing anyway?"

"It's easy. Just look at the notes on the piece and press in the keys," Michelle joked.

"Haha, very funny, Miss Richards."

"I wasn't even seriously joking, Mister Bolton."

"Did you invite your parents to the musicale tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but they're flying in from Hawaii, so I don't really know if they'll make it."

"I'm sorry, Mitch."

"Hey, it's no problem. I told them about it just recently and I know my parents are the busiest people on earth. Besides, I really didn't want them to go since they're really not such a big fan of musicales. What about your parents?"

"Oh, they're coming. They said they wanted to see me for the last time in my high school life on stage. Of course, I haven't told them about the spring musicale. Anyway, do you wanna rehearse a few lines for now?"

"Okay. Which act do you want to rehearse?"

"I'll take the tenth act."

"That's the kissing booth scene."

"Yeah, so, you ready?"

"Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Hey, it's only acting. No harm done. So, let's begin."

As they said their lines, Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, Zeke, Kelsi, Jason, Sharpay, and Ryan were walking outside. They were going to pick up Troy for their early dinner together. The group discussed the musicale that was to happen tomorrow. Sharpay was quietly rehearsing her song number and did not bother to listen to the group's discussion.

"Where's Martha?" Kelsi asked.

"I think she went home early today. She said she needed to do some homework for her Biology class," Taylor answered.

"I wonder if Troy's done rehearsing with Mitch. I'm getting hungry," Jason commented, making everyone laugh.

Gabriella led the way for the group. When they arrived outside the music room, they peeked inside through the clear glass and saw Michelle and Troy talking. Gabriella smiled and reached for the door handle.

"Maybe I…I should kiss you right now. You know…I gave that girl my ticket…and I…waited in line…so…" Troy said, mentally browsing his mind for the correct lines to say.

"Yeah, well, it's the least I can do," Michelle said.

"So…" Troy said, slowly leaning in to Michelle.

As Gabriella opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with a shocking scene. Taylor gasped and covered her mouth. Michelle was kissing Troy. Gabriella felt her throat tie in knots. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Why you little witch!" Taylor shouted, causing Troy and Mitch to break and stand up in shock.

"Taylor? Gabriella?" Troy asked, startled at seeing his friends. "What's going on?"

"What's going on? This little witch and you were making out and we saw it clearly! You little witch! Boyfriend-stealer!" Taylor shouted, coming up to Michelle and pulling her hair.

"Ow!" Michelle cried.

"Hey! Taylor, what are you doing?! Stop that!" Troy exclaimed, pulling Michelle away from Taylor's grasps.

"Why should I? She is trying to steal you away from Gabriella! And you are obviously falling in her trap!"

"She is not trying to steal me away from Gabriella! What nonsense are you talking about?! Stop it! Don't touch her!"

"Gabriella!" Troy heard Sharpay call out as her girlfriend and Kelsi ran out of the room.

"Look what you have done, Bolton? And you, you little witch, stay away from Gabriella and stay away from us! You've already done enough damage. Don't try to pretend that you're friends with her or any of us. Just get the hell away from us!" Taylor shouted and followed Kelsi and Gabriella out.

"But I…" Michelle said, her voice broken.

"Troy," Chad called out, making Troy face him. "I thought you knew better. Guess you didn't."

"Guys," Troy called out as his friends left him and Michelle.

Troy looked at the remainder of people inside the music room. He sighed and looked back at Michelle who was silently sobbing behind him. He looked back to the door and glanced at both Sharpay and Ryan who stayed with them. He sighed even more and walked out of the door, passing Sharpay and Ryan without even bothering to look back.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Gabriella! Gabriella, wait up!" Kelsi and Taylor both called up to their friend.

"I don't want to talk, guys. Please, just leave me alone!" Gabriella said, but stopping just beside her locker.

"Gaby," Taylor said, finally catching up to her. "You need to let it out. Cry, girl! Cry if you must. But you have to remember that after crying, you just hang your head high and forget about it. Girl, you don't need that Troy Bolton anyway."

"You don't understand guys. I trusted Troy and Michelle. I trusted the both of them to be just friends and nothing more. And then I saw that," Gaby explained.

"Honey, we know. It's all that Michelle's fault. I told you she was no good."

"Tay, that's not it. It's just…"

"Gabriella, I think you should let Troy or Michelle explain first," Kelsi said.

"Kelsi, there's no need for explaining here. You saw what we saw too, right? And I don't think you've suddenly gone blind," Taylor said.

"Ugh! I just need some time alone, please. I'm sorry," Gabriella said, running away from them again.

"Gabriella!" they both called out.

Gabriella ran as fast as she could to the only place she knew she would feel better: Troy's secret spot. She ran up the stairs and wiped the tears away from her eyes as she got near one of the plants. She continued to sob silently and did not notice the other presence standing just a few feet away from her.

"Gaby," the voice called out, making Gabriella turn to face the person whose voice she clearly recognized.

"Troy, please. Just go away," Gabriella said so harshly, but regretted it afterwards. "I don't think I want to see you right now. Please, before I say anything harsh or wrong that I know I wouldn't want to say."

"No, Gaby, you have to let me explain first before you push me away. Let's not go through the past again when you did not let me explain before. No, Gabriella. This time, I want to have my chance to explain before you make any conclusions."

"Troy Bolton, I said I-"

"What you saw back there was indeed a kiss. And if it was that convincing then I am very proud of myself."

"If you're just here to tell me that you are da-"

"I'm proud of myself because I was able to pull out a good fake kissing scene."

"Fake? Kissing scene? What?"

"Yes, Gaby, you heard me right. It was all just acting. Didn't I tell you I was going to go practice with Mitch? What you saw back there was all just part of the act, the whole play! Gaby, I would never and could never cheat on you. You, of all people, should know that."

"Troy, I…"

"Gaby, you know Mitch means something to me. But you also know that she is just like a sister and nothing more. She's never gonna compare to you. She never will, Gabs."

"Troy, I…I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you had to see that. I'm sorry that it affected you that much, which proves that my love for you was not strong enough."

"No, Troy. My love for you was not strong enough. I was a fool for acting up over something like that. I should've used my head."

"Hey, sometimes, the smartest of girls can make mistakes too."

"I love you, Troy."

"And I love you, Gabriella. Are we peace now?"

"Yeah, yeah, we are," Gabriella said, smiling and coming closer to give him a hug.

Troy Bolton smiled at his girlfriend. He was glad everything was all cleared out before things got out of hand. Tomorrow was the opening night and he didn't need any more burden than what he already has.

"Troy, where Michelle?" Gabriella suddenly asked, pulling away from him.

"I left her inside the music room with Ryan and Sharpay. I don't know what happened after that," he replied.

"We better go find her. I want to apologize for what Taylor had done earlier."

"Yeah, but first, wash your face. I don't want to see those tear marks ever again, okay?"

Gabriella smiled. She was happy and so was Troy. They hugged once again before walking down the stairs hand-in-hand. They were East High's golden couple and nothing could ever change that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sharpay, where's Mitch?" Gabriella asked as she and Troy saw Sharpay walking down the hallway.

"I'm glad to see you two have made up," Sharpay said, giving them a half smile. "But Mitch has already left. Ryan, again, ran after her. I'm not sure where they are now."

"She went home," Ryan said, suddenly appearing behind Troy and Gabriella.

"I better go see her," Troy said, preparing to leave.

"You don't have to," Ryan said, making Troy and the other two look up at him. "I think she wants to be alone. She left this note for you and Gaby, by the way."

Ryan handed Gabriella a note with Michelle's handwriting evident on it. Troy looked at Ryan and Sharpay before looking at the note and read it with Gabriella. He read and reread it all over again before finally coming to realize what was written on it.

"She's backing out of the musicale?!" Gabriella asked in a shock tone.

"But, tomorrow's the opening night. She can't back out now," Troy said.

"I gotta go talk to her," Gabriella said, folding the note and handing it to Troy.

"You can't change her mind. Gaby, Mitch was hurt when Taylor had said those things to her. She was very scared. But not in the way you think she may be," Ryan said.

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked.

"Mitch saw Troy as her brother. Sure she loved him, oh, God, she loved him so much, but only as a brother. It was because Troy showed her the same kindness her brother used to show her," Sharpay said.

"Used to?" Gabriella mimicked in a questioning way.

"Her brother died a year ago. He was in a fight between this basketball captain guy in their old school. He was defending Mitch from him. He was thrown out into the street and got hit by a car. From then on Michelle remained distant. That's why she wanted to leave everything behind," Ryan said.

"When she moved back here and met Troy, she was touched by his kindness to her; she instantly felt the connection between him and her late brother. And so began this crazy East High drama," Sharpay said.

"Mitch grew to love Troy as she continued to see in him the brother she once lost. Troy was actually defending her, keeping her safe, making sure she was okay – even going to lengths as to arguing with his friends. That's when she got scared because she thought Troy might get the same fate as her brother because she was not strong enough to fight for herself," Ryan finished.

"That's why she always stayed away from me whenever I'm with the boys or even just you guys. She always had that hint of sadness in her eyes that never went away even after things were getting better. That's why she wanted to back out of the musicale from the very beginning. She was trying to protect me," Troy concluded in a whispered tone.

"I don't think you can change her mind anymore. I tried. We tried. She's really made up her mind," Ryan said, looking up at Troy and Gabriella's faces.

"We can try to-" Gabriella argued.

"No, don't waste your time anymore, Gabriella. Just do the show tomorrow. You be the lead and we'll find someone to take your part. You don't have to worry about it," Sharpay said.

"I can't do that to Michelle! She didn't even do anything wrong to me. I can not just take her place in the musicale."

"But she wants you to. Gabriella, think of this as an apology to Michelle. From the very beginning, she had already wanted to give up the role for you to have it, but I persuaded her to continue on with it. And now she has decided this. I can't change her mind anymore than I've already had. So, do this, Gaby. Make her thank herself for giving you the role she was supposed to do," Ryan said, seriousness evident in his eyes.

Gabriella stared into the eyes of her good pal Ryan. She saw in his eyes that he was dead serious about what he had just said. She glanced at Sharpay who gave her the same look. She looked up beside her to the face of her only loved and saw him giving him a reassuring smile.

"Okay, I'll do it…for Mitch," Gabriella said, smiling at the three of them.

Unbeknownst to the four of them, Chad and Taylor have eavesdropped on their conversation. The couple both looked at each other after hearing about Mitch's story. They sighed and thought to themselves what they could do. Suddenly, Chad whispered something to Taylor. She hugged him excitedly before pulling him away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Places, people! We're on in ten minutes!" Ms. Darbus shouted at the backstage as everyone hurried on with their tasks.

"But who's going to do my part?" Gabriella asked Sharpay as she did a quick retouch on her makeup.

"Don't worry about that. Ryan has already talked to Ms. Darbus about it. Just concentrate on your lines, okay?" Sharpay assured her.

"Hey, you ready?" Troy asked, suddenly popping out of nowhere.

"I'm a little nervous," Gabriella said.

"You should feel her hand. It's shaking," Sharpay told Troy who took hold of Gaby's hand immediately.

"Just calm down. I know it's only our second time doing this. But during Twinkle Towne you were great! We're all nervous here. Nobody's thinking that you'll screw up. So even if you do, they won't really care. Just give out your best," Troy said, giving her a kiss on the cheek when Sharpay finished with her makeup.

"Is Mitch coming?" Gaby asked. "I think I'll back out."

"That's just being unprofessional," the three of them suddenly heard.

"Michelle," Troy whispered when he saw her walking up to them.

"Don't back out now," Michelle said when she got near them. "It's opening night."

"But you backed out the night before the opening itself," Gabriella argued.

"That's a different case."

"I'm glad you're here. Now you can play your part."

"No, that's your part now, Gabriella. I've already backed out, remember?"

"No, no, no! You're here now so you can do it!"

"I'm already doing another part, Gabriella. I'm sorry, but I can't do that part anymore. So, you have to do it."

"What part are you talking about?"

"The role of Olivia."

"But that's my role!"

"Not anymore. You'll be playing Viola now, Gaby. So, we got a replacement for you," Sharpay explained.

"No! She can still be Viola!" Gabriella continued to argue. "I'm Olivia!"

"Well, that's showbiz. By the way, I had a hard time memorizing your lines in just overnight so don't expect a _Golden Globe_ performance out there," Michelle stated.

"Okay, okay, as much as I am very happy and confused right now, I just have to know. How come you're here?" Troy asked.

"Chad and Taylor came over last night. They talked to me about the real deal and apologized. They asked me to come back for the musicale tonight but I declined, saying that I've already given my part to Gabriella. But, they persuaded me to come back and play the role that Gaby had abandoned instead. They had the copy of the script that I surrendered and everything – even coffee. So, here I am."

"They did that?" Troy asked, looking up behind Mitch and finally noticing his two friends.

"You guys," Gaby said, running up to them and giving them a hug.

"It's the least we could do after what we had done to her. I mean, after what I had done to her," Taylor said.

"Places, people! Only three more minutes 'til show time!" Ms. Darbus announced.

"We better get going," Troy told Gaby. "Mitch?"

"My scene is not up until later. I'm gonna go find Ryan first, okay? And Gaby," Michelle said.

"Yeah?" Gabriella asked, walking up to her.

"You go knock 'em dead out there. A great guy told me this before: You have nothing to prove except for who you really are. If you really want to do it, then no one's stopping you. Don't think about what they say. Just do what you have to do. So pull yourself together and get on that stage and sing your heart out. "

"That great guy must be so great that you even remembered what he had told you."

"He is, Gaby, he is. Now, go and show them what you got. As of this moment, you are no longer Gabriella Montez, freaky math girl. You are now Viola Hastings, a girl with a heart full of passion. Think Viola. Feel Viola. Be Viola. You are Viola."

Gabriella and the rest smiled at Michelle's comment. Mitch smiled at all of them and motioned for a group hug. At that moment, Ryan, Zeke, Martha, Kelsi, and Jason all walked in the sight before them. They looked at each other before joining in to the group hug. They all laughed when they pulled apart.

It is safe to say that the musicale was a success. Everyone cheered and applauded the cast and crew for the wonderful outcome of the musicale. Michelle was happy that her parents were able to make it in their performance. She was finally able to introduce them to her real friends. Tomorrow was another day and the good Christmas cheer was around them. How do they celebrate?


	9. All Over Again

CHAPTER 9 – All Over Again

It was the night before New Year's Eve itself. Michelle and her family had invited the whole gang and their families to join them in their house for a New Year's Eve party. Martha couldn't make it because she had to leave for vacation in Atlanta. It was the kids who decided to have a little sleepover at Mitch's house before the actual celebration the night after. So, everyone got their bags packed and went over to Mitch's house to await and help with the preparations of the New Year's Eve party they were going to have.

They had just finished playing a game of _Twister_ when Michelle decided to have pizza delivered over for their dinner. She told the guys to just pick out some games on the shelf and left them to call for the pizza delivery guy that was on their phone's speed dial. She took the phone and speed dialed for the pizza place and swiftly ordered four boxes of pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and hung up. She entered the kitchen and opened the fridge to get a soda. She also pulled out a left-over macaroni and cheese from inside, closed the door of the fridge and tossed the goody inside the microwave to be reheated. Just then, Ryan walked in and smiled at her.

"Hey, what're you still doing here?" Ryan asked, standing beside her by the dishwasher. "By the way, do you have food? I'm kinda hungry."

"You can take that mac and cheese inside that microwave. I'm not really that hungry anyway," Mitch said, taking a sip off her soda. "What are the guys up to now?"

"Playing_Stacko_. They're freaking out over the fact that you have so many games out there. So much for having a luxurious life. You have a whole toy store out there."

"My brother loved to play those games. So he bought a lot when he was in his teens. We kept it here in reminiscence of my brother."

"I didn't know your brother was the childish type."

"He's really childish. You wouldn't know from first glance that he's childish; especially since he was the captain of the football team."

"I saw the trophies. You're very different from him."

"My brother was everything. He was just great. I was not like him in any way. I mean, from first glance - with the glasses and all - you can really tell. But we were inseparable. My brother loved me and I loved him. He was always there to protect me. He never left me. Never."

"Hey, don't think unhappy thoughts. Come on, let's get back to the game. I wanna see who loses. Loser gets a consequence."

"Wait, Ryan!"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Thank you…for everything. You have been the most supportive of all. I mean, once is enough, but twice? I didn't know you'd go as far as to run after me all the time. You're one of the reasons why I love East High. You mean a lot to me. You're a really great guy, Ryan. I'm so lucky to have you for a friend," Michelle said, giving Ryan a tight hug.

Ryan was shocked. He didn't know how to respond. He never expected Michelle to tell him that he means a lot to her. For the first time in his life, he felt himself blush and his stomach do somersaults. But deep inside him, he felt something even more. _Yeah, just a friend._

"So, let's go back! I wanna play too!" Michelle said, breaking the hug and running out of the kitchen leaving Ryan alone with the mac and cheese that was inside the microwave.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, everyone was busy preparing for the New Year's Eve party for that night. They were all setting up their own to-dos. Everyone was concentrating for they knew that some important friends of the Richards were coming that night. They barely had seen each other since the group was divided into different parts of the ballroom, living room and balcony.

Night came and everyone was already in preparations for their appearance that night. The attire was just casual and comfortable. The girls were all cooped up inside Michelle's room while the boys were inside one of the guest rooms. Sharpay was putting light make-up on Gabriella when Michelle came in and announced something.

"Girls! There's a big change in tonight's party regimen. Mom said it'll be a formal party. We have to wear something formal, long gowns to be exact," she said, making everyone gasped in shock.

"Oh, goody! I brought a gown with me, you know, just in case," Sharpay squealed in delight.

"I don't have a long gown, but I do have a dress-just below the knees," Taylor said. "Just like Sharpay, I brought it just in case."

"I got a dress too. Nothing special, just a knee-length dress. My mom made me bring one. Which reminds me, I gotta call my parents and tell them about the change in attire tonight," Kelsi said, getting up from the bed to get hold of the phone.

"No need. My parents already made those calls. I've already told the guys the same. They're panicking all over. Except for Ryan though, he seemed to be prepared. Anyway, Dad has already showed them my brother's closet of clothes. He hasn't worn all of them so no need to worry if you think they'd be wearing a dead guy's outfits," Mitch said.

"Looks like there's no problem here anymore," Taylor commented, getting back to straightening her hair.

"Uhm, I don't think so. Girls, I don't got anything to wear!" Gabriella panicked. "I gotta run back home to get one."

"But, Gaby, the party starts in half an hour! You won't make it!" Shar said.

"Don't panic. I'll be right back," Michelle said, walking away from them.

Sharpay glanced around her friend's faces before sighing and continuing to do Gaby's make-up. Gabriella gave her a look and just sighed as she continued to do whatever magic she was doing on her face. After a few minutes, a knock on the open-door was suddenly heard. All four girls turned around to see who knocked.

"Hey, girls, I was just wondering if I could borrow Gaby for a minute," Troy asked, smiling brightly at them.

"Hey, basketball guy, what do you want?" Gaby asked as she neared Troy.

"Can you fix this tie for me? I'm kinda lousy at these kinds of things."

"Sure," Gaby said, smiling as she fixed his tie.

"Thanks, Gabs," Troy said when she finished.

"Not that I'm complaining but don't you already know how to do this kind of thing? I mean, you have done it before, right? You know, during your dinner with the Evans and that UofA guy," Gaby asked, giving him a look.

"Well…okay. You caught me. I just wanted to see you here."

"Troy…"

"I'm sorry, Gabs. I just really wanted to see you."

"Troy, you know I hate it when you lie, even if it's just a white lie. Besides, you didn't have to lie just to be able to see me. You know that you can just ask for me anytime. The girls wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I know, Gabs. I'm sorry. I'll never do it again," Troy said, kissing Gabriella on the lips.

"You do that, Mister Lunkhead Basketball Man. I'll see you tonight, okay?" Gaby said, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah, I'll see you," Troy said, walking away from her. "By the way, Gabriella, you look beautiful, even without the dress, that I'm sure will be lovely at you."

Gabriella simply smiled and waved back at Troy who almost hit by the butler who was carrying a tray with a pitcher of water and some glasses. The butler eyed him as he apologized and ran off. Gabriella but her lip in embarrassment as the butler went inside Mitch's room and set the pitcher and glasses on the spare table by the far end of the room and left. Gaby giggled before returning back to Sharpay. Michelle, at that moment, suddenly came out of her hiding place.

"Hey, Sharpay, are you done with Gabriella yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, you can have her now. I'll go touch up myself," Sharpay answered, signaling Gabriella that she was done with her.

"I can't believe you have a whole room for a closet!" Gabriella exclaimed when she entered the room.

"It's not exactly a room. It's just a large closet. A really large closet. A walk-in closet as they call it. You should see my mother's. That's what you can call a room," Michelle answered.

"She's a model! There's no wondering about that. So, what have you got to show me?"

"This!" Michelle exclaimed, showing Gaby a light turquoise long gown.

"Mitch, that's beautiful," Gabriella breathed.

"And it would look more beautiful if you wore it."

"No, I can't. Mitch, no."

"Yes, Gabriella, you can. Now, go and get dressed. It's fifteen to eight. You got no more excuses to make, Montez. Now, get going."

Gabriella looked at her with serious eyes before giving her a big hug, making Michelle jump a little. Gabriella was all smiles. She broke the hug and glanced at the outfit before looking back at Michelle's face.

"I owe you, Mitch. Thank you so much," Gabriella said, smiling at her even more.

"You don't owe me anything, Gabriella. You've already done so much for me. First the auditions, then the callbacks, and then the musicale itself," Michelle explained. "It's the least I could do."

"But, I never helped you in any of those, most especially the musicale."

"No explanations, Gabriella. Now get dressed. Tell the others to get changed too. I'll be back later. If I'm not back when you're about to leave, just go on ahead without me. I'll see you later, Gabs," Michelle said, walking out of the walk-in closet.

Gabriella was out of words as Michelle left her inside. She walked out of the closet just in time to see her wave a goodbye to Kelsi, Taylor and Sharpay. All girls looked at each other before shrugging and going back to their preparations. The New Year was about to come again and, for once, everything was falling into place.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, guys!" Michelle greeted as she knocked on the wide opened door of the room the boys had all occupied to change for the party. "Woah! Sorry to have seen that!"

Jason quickly scrambled for the door of the bathroom. All of them laughed as they watched him almost tumble every time he stepped on his pants that were already sweeping the carpeted floor. He quickly closed the door of the bathroom and shouted an apology at Michelle for having to witness such a scene.

"Definitely not going to tell Kelsi what I saw," Michelle stated. "So guys, I'm here to see a certain Mister Troy Bolton."

"He's all yours," all of them said, even Jason who was inside the bathroom shouted his response.

"Okay, why are your friends giving you up this fast all of a sudden?"

"He's been bugging us all night about Gaby and stuff you don't want to know," Chad explained. "We can do with a break, you know."

"I'll be glad to take him away from you all. Troy, a minute?"

"Is there a problem, Mitch?" Troy asked as they got out of the room.

"No, there's nothing. I just wanted to give you something," Mitch said, handing him a paper bag that he did not notice she was holding.

"What's this?"

"Something I should've let go a long time ago."

Troy opened the bag and extracted a piece of clothing from it. He dropped the paper bag on the floor and stretched out in the open air the piece of clothing he had extracted. Troy stared before looking it over up and down and letting it go on one hand. He gazed at Michelle who was glancing at what he was holding.

"Mitch, what is this?" Troy asked, making her look his way. "Why are you giving me this?"

"My brother was a fan. When he was fourteen, Dad took him to see them. When I turned thirteen, he gave me that a symbol of his brotherly love to me. He said, 'I've always loved and cherished this, Mitch. But now, I've got something else more important to me. And that is my baby sister here. So you keep this and think of it as a part of me.' But now, I realized, after all these years, that I don't really need it; because I got my brother's protection, love and memory right here inside my heart. So now, I'm giving that to you."

"Mitch, I know you're rich and could get another one of this anytime, but, this is your brother's."

"Troy, you are really compatible with Gabriella. You two decline favors so well. Just take it, Troy. I don't need it."

"Mitch, this is a Lakers jersey with signatures of the players and the coach! This is priceless!"

"I'm not a fan, Bolton. Now, no excuses. Keep it, or would you just want me to throw it in the garbage?"

"Are you sure about this, Michelle?"

"I know I won't regret it. I know you're a fan. I really don't like basketball. I don't even know why my brother's a fan. He's a football player after all. But, let's not get to that. Just take it, Troy. I owe you a lot since my first day at East High. I'm sure my brother would want the same fate with that jersey."

"Mitch, I got no more words to say. Thank you."

"No gratitude needed, Troy. I have to go now. I'll see you tonight," Michelle said, stepping away from Troy, avoiding his arms.

"What?" he asked, eying her.

"Fancy putting a shirt on first?"

"Oh, right. My bad. I was wearing one just a while ago. I took it off because I was not comfortable with it. Now that I think about it, Gaby will surely kill me once she finds out that I ruined the knot she did on my tie."

Michelle smiled and finally gave him a hug out of delight. Troy laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and patted her back as they broke apart. He smiled at her and thanked her for the gift again. He waved goodbye as she walked away from him.

"Oh, nice pants by the way," he heard her shout as she slowly disappeared form his view.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gaby walked slowly towards the table of appetizers and took a piece of food from the plate. Sharpay and Taylor were no way in sight and Kelsi was busy playing the piano as requested by Mrs. Richards. Gabriella sighed and looked around the room packed with old, famous people and a couple of teens whom she doesn't want to get acquainted with. She felt a little bit uneasy wearing the dress that Mitch gave her. She felt so regal and rich in it.

"Hey there, beautiful! What're you doing there?" Gabriella suddenly heard the familiar voice of her boyfriend beside her.

"Hey," Gabriella said, smiling at him and giving him a big hug. "Where have you been?"

"Around. I've been busy looking for you. By the way, love you in that dress. I knew you'd look beautiful, as always."

"Thanks, you. Actually, this one's not mine. It's Mitch's. She gave it to me on short notice. Isn't it just amazing?"

"Oh, it's even more amazing that you're wearing it."

"Thanks, Troy. Oh, there're just so many celebrities here. I never expected celebrities actually go to parties as simple as this. I thought they go to parties like the ones Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton go to."

"I know. I didn't expect to see so many celebrities here. Now I just wonder where our friends are."

"I thought the boys were with you."

"They left ahead of me."

"Most probably in the kitchen."

"I think so too."

"Hey, what are you guys doing here slumping?" Troy and Gaby heard a voice asked.

"Mitch!" Gaby exclaimed. "You look amazing!"

Suddenly, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at Gabriella. Gabriella gulped and felt herself starting to sweat. She smiled sheepishly at all of them and whispered her apology as they continued on to what they were doing before.

"I think you'd better keep it down since this is a formal party. But hey, thanks for the compliment," Mitch said, smiling at the two of them. "Oh, you look so beautiful, Gaby!"

"Thanks, Mitch. The party's great! There're so many celebrities!" Gaby said.

"Yeah, and I think I just saw Justin Timberlake over there," Troy said, pointing at the far-end corner of the room, trying to make it a joke. "How can that be possible, huh?"

"Uhm, Troy, that is Justin Timberlake," Mitch said. "Don't do that again."

"Okay," Troy said.

"Sorry, but I gotta leave you guys here. Dinner will be served in about ten minutes and I have to get everybody settled in the ballroom. God, this is hard."

"Hey, don't stress too much. We'll help you. Oh, by the way, I love your contacts. You should throw away those glasses and keep those. Your eyes are really beautiful," Troy said. "A nice touch of green."

"Yeah, thanks. Oh, I really have to go. Be in the ballroom in under ten minutes, okay? Dad gets a little impatient. Bye, guys. I'll see you later," Michelle said, walking away from the two.

"So, shall we play usher and usherette?" Troy asked his girlfriend.

"You are so British," Gaby joked. "Let's just go." (**AN**: No offense to the British. It's just an expression that me and my friends use a lot.)

Troy chuckled at his girlfriend's remark and joined her in ushering people inside the ballroom. Soon enough, almost every guest was inside. Troy and Gabriella have finally found their friends and motioned each one of them to sit on the table nearest the stage since that was reserved for them. Gabriella looked around inside the ballroom and saw a couple of familiar faces from East High School. She smiled when she saw Troy smiling sheepishly at Ms. Darbus who was trying to make him acknowledge her presence. Chad chuckled at his best friend that earned him a nudge on his stomach by Taylor, of course. Everyone was busy with themselves when the dinner arrived. It was almost time for the countdown.

"Tonight, we have a very special performance prepared by none other than our hosts' daughter, Miss Michelle Richards," the emcee announced, making everyone give into a round of applause.

"Thank you," Michelle said as she walked in front of the stage. "Tonight, you will all witness the most amazing performance you will ever see. You will all see different gifts and talents all joined together in a performance that you will never forget. I am proud to present to you tonight's guest performers, the East High Wildcats!"

Troy, Chad, Ryan, Jason, and Zeke almost choked out the pancetta they were chewing when they heard the announcement made by Michelle. Gabriella, Taylor, Sharpay, and Kelsi were wide-eyed at that precise moment. Troy stood up abruptly, not realizing what he had done until the spotlight was placed on him. He gulped and looked around the room. He smiled an awkward smile before looking back to the faces of his friends who were now all given their own spotlights. Troy felt himself stoned on the ground.

"Please welcome on stage, Mister Troy Bolton, Miss Gabriella Montez, Mister Ryan Evans, Miss Sharpay Evans, Mister Chad Danforth, Miss Taylor McKessie, Mister Zeke Baylor, Miss Kelsi Nielsen, and Mister Jason Cross," Michelle announced, making everyone clap in excitement.

"Mitch! What is this about?" Troy whispered to her when they all got on stage. "You didn't inform us about this!"

"I'm sorry. It was supposed to be a surprise," Michelle whispered back, still smiling at the crowd as they bellowed out their song requests.

"Oh, I'm surprised," Troy said in a sarcastic tone. "What now?"

"We gotta sing, Troy. I think Barbara Streisand's here too," Gabriella joined in.

"Where?" Chad suddenly asked.

"I think she's that one over there in the middle with someone who looks like that guy on the James Bond movie," Taylor said, motioning for the others to look on the direction she was mentioning.

"Pierce Brosnan, no, that can't be him. That guys looks way better looking," Sharpay said. "Ain't that right, Ryan?"

"Hey, isn't that Orlando Bloom?" Ryan said, making everyone's head shot on the direction he was indicating.

"Oh, my God! That's Orlando Bloom!" Kelsi exclaimed in a whispered tone. "And he's with Keira Knightley!"

"I didn't know you watch Pirates," Jason commented. "Now I got someone to watch it with!"

"That can't be Orlando or Keira or Barbara or Pierce. That's impossible. Maybe we're just seeing things. You know, just because we're nervous and all," Zeke said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But what do we do now?" Kelsi asked, making everyone think.

"Look, I got you guys into this so don't worry. Kelsi, you go over to the piano. Jason and Zeke, stand over there by those two microphones. You two'll be the back-up singers. Chad and Tay, far-end mike's over on each side. Shar and Ry, you got yourselves these two microphones beside the both of you. Gaby and Troy, you got center field. Is everyone clear?" Michelle spoke fast.

"Wait, this is going all too fast. We can't do this. We don't even know what the song is," Troy argued.

"You'll know the song, trust me. Kelsi!" Michelle called out as the audience began to applaud. "Oh, and by the way, that's really not Barbara Streisand. That's Celine Dion. And that guy who looks like James Bond really is Pierce Brosnan. Oh, another thing. Yeah, that's also Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Well, good luck, you guys! I just love you all!" she continued and quickly walked out of the stage, making the group watch in amazement.

Troy breathed in heavily as he heard Kelsi play the first few keys of the song. He glanced around him and gazed in front as the music began to come together. Just as he was about grip the mike tighter, he stopped and felt his mouth hang. He looked at Gabriella immediately and saw her have the same reaction as he did. _New Year's Day 2006._

"Troy! Sing!" Kelsi whispered a little louder when she realized that Troy had not sang the first words of the song.

Troy shot back a lot at Kelsi and realized what kind of predicament he was now in. He glanced back at Gabriella and saw her smile sweetly at him. Troy sighed and smiled back at her. He gave the signal to Kelsi and breathed in and out. He looked out at crowd and smiled as he heard the familiar sound of the song he had always loved.

Troy began to sing:

"_**Living in my own world  
Didn't understand  
That anything can happen  
When you take a chance"**_

Gabriella followed, remembering the night she first sang those words.

_**"I never believed in  
What I couldn't see  
I never opened my heart  
To all the possibilities"**_

Troy and Gabriella smiled as they sang together.

_**"I know that something has changed  
Never felt this way  
And right here tonight"**_

All of them joined in at the song.

_**"This could be the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new"**_

Sharpay and Ryan sang together. They smiled when they got hold of the lyrics that one of the waiter passed on to them.

_**"Now who'd of ever thought that  
We'd both be here tonight"**_

Chad and Taylor sang the next parts, surprised that they had managed to remember the lyrics that their two best friends used to sing before.

_**"And the world looks so much brighter  
With you by my side"**_

Troy and Gabriella sang together again while Zeke and Jason sang back-up.

_**"I know that something has changed  
Never felt this way  
I know it for real"**_

Everyone sang again, happy at the expressions on everyone's faces.

_**"This could be the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new"**_

Troy took the mike from the stand and walked over to Gabriella while singing his lines.

_**"I never knew that it could happen  
Till it happened to me"**_

Gabriella did the same and smiled as Troy took her hand to his as they met in the middle.

_**"I didn't know it before  
But now it's easy to see"**_

Everyone got together in the middle and continued to sing as the audience all stood up and clapped their hands to the beat and rhythm of the music.

_**"It's a start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart"**_

Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Zeke, and Jason all backed out and let Troy and Gabriella sing the remaining lines of the song as it came its closing.

_**"That it's the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new  
Start of something new  
The start of something new"**_

Troy and Gabriella smiled as they sang the last line of the song they have always loved since the moment they sang it on the lodge on New Year's Eve. Everyone applauded the wonderful performance and the group bowed in delight as Kelsi ran up to them. Troy hugged Gabriella tightly and kissed her head. He smiled brightly at Mitch who gave them a thumbs-up. He felt so happy and light. He looked at Gabriella and whispered an 'I love you' to her amidst the cheering. Gabriella smiled and whispered the same thing at him. It was like New Year's Day 2006 all over again, but this time, it got even better.


	10. Goodbye Wildcats

CHAPTER 10 – Goodbye Wildcats

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Final chapter! After this, I think I'll get back into writing a Harry Potter again. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do the sequel but I'm thinking about it. Thanks for all of those who reviewed and read! I love ya'll! I hope I get more reviews this time! PLEASE!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe tomorrow's show time already! I'm starting to get cold feet," Gaby told the girls as they sat down for lunch.

"I cannot believe that tomorrow's the last day of classes," Sharpay said. "Oh, wait, I can believe it."

"Seniors. Who would've thought this day would come so soon?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah," Gaby and Sharpay said in unison.

"The day after tomorrow will be graduation. Half of me just can't wait, the other half is just not really ready for something like that," Kelsi stated. "I'm really not making any sense, am I?"

"No, Kels, you are making sense. We get your point," Martha said.

"Yeah, I think we all feel that," Gabriella said.

"Personally, I just feel okay with everything. I mean, Ryan and I are going to University of Albuquerque together, and I am sure that that school will grow to be even more beautiful now that we are shining some light on it," Sharpay said.

"I'm really happy that we're all going to UofA! That's such a relief," Gaby said. "Mitch, don't you agree?"

The girls all shifted their gaze over at Mitch and saw her staring into nothingness. Sharpay took her hand and waved it in front of Michelle's face, trying to wake her up from her state. But after a few seconds of waving, Sharpay finally gave up. At that moment, the boys walked in and stared at Mitch just like the girls. Troy asked Gabriella what was wrong but she only made a face indicating that she didn't know. After a few moments, Troy finally got to his senses and went over to Mitch side and shook her awake.

"Uh, uh, wha..what?" Mitch asked, looking around her at the faces of her friends. "Is there something wrong?"

"You were staring into space again, sweetie. You do that a lot these past few days. Is there something wrong?" Taylor asked, worried about her.

"Oh, no-no. There's nothing wrong. I'm just getting a little pensive. You know, uhm, it's near my brother's birthday. So, you know. But, hey, it's nothing really," Mitch lied, smiling a little to make it look convincing.

"Oh, I see. It's okay, sweetie. We know you miss him," Gaby said, comforting her.

"Yeah, it's okay if you wanna cry," Chad supplemented.

"We're all here for you, Mitch," Sharpay said.

"Y-yeah, uhm, so, I think I'll go ahead in the auditorium. I'm not really hungry. I'll jut see you guys there," Michelle said, as she stood up and walked away from the group.

After getting past the doors of the cafeteria, Michelle dashed for the auditorium. She didn't look back, she couldn't, and she knew she shouldn't. She slowed down as she saw the door of the auditorium in closer view. She stopped just in front of it and opened the door. She sighed as she entered and walked towards the stage. _I don't wanna forget this._

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Michelle heard a voice and turned around immediately. "You run away so much, but this time, I know something is definitely up that we don't know about."

"What are you talking about, Troy? I've already told you. There's nothing wrong," Mitch lied, again. "Anyway, I have to go backstage to check on the costumes. I'll see you later."

"Michelle Olivia Richards, stop right there!"

"Oh, my God!"

"What?"

"How did you know about my middle name? Who told you? Was it my mom?"

"Don't try to change the subject, _Olivia_. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Troy, there's nothing wrong."

"Okay, if you won't tell me then would you rather I get Ryan to here. Maybe then you'd confess what real-"

"I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

"It's a joke. You should've seen your face!"

"Oh. Be serious, please!"

"Troy, look, just let it be, okay?"

"Mitch, come on, you know you can tell me anything. Hey, it's our last days here at East High. We could at least try to make it the best ones. I mean, one year with you has been great! And knowing that you'd also be going to U-"

"I'm moving."

"Y-You're…y-you're what?"

"I'm moving. I'm moving back to Los Angeles."

"Is this...is this even for real?"

"As real as real can be."

"B-But...b-but why?"

"My Dad said he needs to check up on business there, and my mom still has commitments there, now, as a producer. I really don't know what to tell you, Troy. Everything has been planned out by my parents."

"When was this settled?"

"Two weeks ago."

"Why haven't you told me?!"

"I couldn't! I couldn't tell anyone! I couldn't tell Gabriella or Ryan, and most undeniably, I couldn't tell you! Troy, you know that I've already lost a brother. And it hurts me that I have to say goodbye to another brother again. I mean, it's happening all over again! Maybe not in the way I had expected it to, but it is!"

"You could've at least thought about how we would feel - about how I would feel!"

"Troy, if this is difficult for you to accept, what do you think about me then?! I have the most difficult situation here! I'm the one who has to tell everyone about this! Troy, I'm the one who's leaving!"

"Why don't you just tell your parents that you'd stay at Albuquerque? You can stay at our house or go to a dorm. I mean, you're already in college. There's no harm in there."

"I can't leave my parents, Troy. They've already lost a son. I don't want them to lose a daughter too."

"You can't leave, Mitch. You just can't, not when things are starting to feel great, not when I know things are going to be alright now. Not now, Mitch."

"It's not the end of the world, Troy. We'll see each other again. I promise I'll try to visit and I'll call and e-mail a lot."

"Are you really leaving?"

"Everything will be for the best, Troy. You've all got UofA and I've got USC. Maybe, after four years, we can see each other again after we finish college."

"When are you leaving?"

"Graduation day. Right after the ceremony I'm leaving."

"Why this soon? Why not wait until everyone gets settled with it, or at least know about it?"

"My parents need to leave, Troy. They're famous people. They need to be in two places at once, or so like that matter. I did not choose this. As much as I want to stay, I can't. I want to be with my parents. I can't leave them."

"I'm really going to miss you. You're really like a sister to me."

Michelle smiled and walked towards Troy as he stretched his arms to hug her. For the first time since she found out that she was leaving Albuquerque for Los Angeles, Michelle felt tears rolling down from her eyes. She couldn't control her emotions anymore. Troy held her as she continued to sob, and knew, right then, that it would be the last.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Gabs," Troy Bolton called out to his girlfriend as she looked at herself in the mirror for the last time before their final theatrical performance as students of East High.

"Hey, love that preppy boy outfit you got there," Gabriella said, walking up to him and giving him a quick kiss. "What's the problem, Wildcat?"

"It's nothing, just, it's Mitch."

"Oh, my God! Don't tell me she's pregnant."

"W-What?! Okay, the pregnant joke has got to end here."

"I was kidding, Troy. No need to get aggravated over it. Seriously, what's wrong? Did something happen to her? Did you two have an argument again? Don't tell me you made her cry once more."

"No, nothing happened to her or did we get into a fight or did I make her cry. It's just, well, it's just…"

"Troy, you gotta stop with the excessive use of 'it's just'."

"I don't want to get ahead of her, but, Gaby, Michelle is… Michelle is moving back to LA."

"What?! When did this go down? How? Why?"

"Business. Nothing really important but that."

"Did you try to stop her? I mean, of course you did, but…Troy, I…when is she leaving?"

"Graduation day."

"That's tomorrow! Why so soon?"

"Again, business."

"Oh, my…Has she told everyone else?"

"Apparently not. I think she'll tell them later, after the show I suppose, or maybe on the day of the graduation."

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Ryan, Ryan is definitely going to get crushed."

"Gaby, I'd really appreciate it if you won't tell him about this first. I think Mitch would rather tell him herself."

"Of course, Troy."

"Thanks. Look, we're on in ten minutes. We'd better go. The final curtain is about to come."

"How are you holding up?" Gabriella asked, stopping Troy from completely walking away.

"I was shocked but I guess I accepted it now. What bothers me is that she's leaving when everything's just gotten better. But then again, who am I to stop her? There's really nothing that I could do."

"You are so strong, Troy Bolton. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Gaby; and thanks. You're just the best."

"Hey, who'd better to keep you standing than little, old me?"

The two laughed as they walked out of the dressing room hand-in-hand. Troy smiled as he faced the crowd for the final scene of the night. It was a scene about parting and saying goodbye. He knew inside that he was feeling that way. The character that he was portraying was just like him: a lunkhead basketball guy.

Gabriella watched carefully as her boyfriend and best friend smiled gleefully at the crowd as they all bowed down to thank the crowd for the round of applauses they were getting. She knew that it would be the last. At the back of her head, she slowly scanned her memory on that very day she was inside that auditorium and sang her heart out to the world to the song that, she knew, had changed her life for the best.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Troy Bolton bolted right up from his sleeping form at four o'clock in the morning. He suddenly shot a look towards his bedroom window where his deep slumber's disturbance originated. He stood up and walked over to the window, rubbing his eyes along the way. He took a peek and saw a blurry vision of someone who was waving his arms to him. Troy rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times before looking back at the figure waving on his window. _Is this for real? What time is it?_

Troy grabbed a sweatshirt hanging on the open door of his closet and opened his bedroom door. He took a quick glance inside his room and then the hallway before finally leaving and going down the stairs to meet with the person who woke him up from his sleep. He opened the back door and came face-to-face with the visage of his friend Ryan Evans.

"Ryan, last time I checked my clock it showed 4 a.m. as the time. What about yours?" Troy asked, not trying to sound as if he was really asking.

"My watch says its 4:07 a.m. Man, your clock is late, Troy," Ryan said, glancing at his watch and back to Troy's face which he saw had an annoyed expression. "H-Hey there, buddy."

"What are you doing here, Ryan?" Troy asked, leaning on the door frame.

"I gotta talk to you. It's about Michelle," Ryan answered, looking serious.

"Come inside and we'll talk," Troy said, walking inside and sitting down on one of the dinning chairs. "What do you have to say?"

"Well, as you know, tomorrow's graduation," Ryan began as he sat down comfortably on his chair.

"Today, Ryan. Today's graduation already."

"Uhm, yeah, today. So, I was planning on asking Mitch out on a date the next day. You know, I've thought about this for a very long time and I've decided that I'm going to make my move now. I mean, it is already summer, right? No more worries. So, I think this will be the best time to ask her out."

"Uh, yeah, that's great."

"I knew you'd agree. So, I was thinking that I'd ask you guys for a little help, you know. That sort of thing. I have completely blacked-out off ideas. But I was thinking maybe I'd take her out to the park for a little while and then we can catch a movie at the cinema or maybe we'd go t the mall and just walk around…"

Ryan continued to talk, not realizing that Troy's mind had drifted away from what they were talking about. Troy felt sad about everything. He was half listening to Ryan while wondering how he was going to tell him about Mitch's moving, or if he was going to tell him about it. He glanced at Ryan and noticed how happy he was telling him about his ideas. Troy gulped. _I'm sorry, Ryan, but this is gonna hurt._

"Ryan," Troy said.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ryan asked, stopping from his yapping.

"There's something that you must know."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Mitch is…"

"Mitch is what?"

"Mitch is…"

"Mitch is what, Troy?"

"Mitch is mo…"

"Mitch is 'mo' what, Troy? Just spit it out."

"Mitch is mo…Mitch is more of a nature person. So, take her to the park than the mall. I'm sure she'll love that."

"You think so? Yeah, never thought of that. Thanks, man. I knew I wouldn't waste my time here."

"Yeah, no problem. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot!"

"Do you really love Mitch?"

"Hey, man, I know she's like a sister to you, bu don't go interrogating me this early."

"No, no, that's not it. I was just asking."

"Yeah, well, I do. I love her. I know this sounds too cheesy but I love her with all my heart. It took me some time, but I've finally realized it. I've accepted it. I even went as far as to have girl talk with Sharpay, Gaby, Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha about this! But, don't tell anyone about that. It's just that, I love her so much, Troy."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course, Troy, why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, of course not. I was just...asking. You know, curiosity."

"You know, Troy, if you're worried about me hurting Mitch, don't. I love her too much to even think about hurting her. I never felt like this ever in my life. And to be honest with you, I'm quite proud of myself for being this serious of a guy."

Troy chuckled and sighed after hearing Ryan's confession. He patted Ryan's back and smiled at him. He had no words to say. He knew that when he does say something, Ryan would eventually get hurt, and he was really not in the place to do something like that. By five in the morning, Troy heard sounds coming from upstairs and realized that his parents were already awake. Ryan decided to bid goodbye and told him he'd see him later at graduation. Troy waved goodbye at Ryan as he walked over to his car and drove off. He sighed and dashed back to his room to prepare for the day's events. _One last time._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's so exciting. Think about it: an hour from now we will be called as graduates! How cool is that?" Sharpay Evans squealed at her friends' ears.

"Yes, Shar, the coolest," Taylor said in a monotone voice.

"Hey, Tay, could you pass me that hair clip over there?" Kelsi asked. "Thanks."

"Are you finished there, Sharpay?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, I'm done," Sharpay answered as the girls continued to busy themselves with their preparations for graduation. "So, girls, ready for the after party tonight? Ryan and I have already arranged for everything to be done when we get there."

"Yeah! We are so there! I really can't believe it's graduation day already! My, so this is it, isn't it?" Taylor said, looking at her friends.

"I know. It all just happened so fast, so soon," Kelsi said in a whispered tone.

"Yeah, but we'll all still be together. Just think about it. UofA. New school, new life, new teachers, new friends, but there will still be the old ones. Isn't that just great?" Sharpay said.

"Yeah, the best! You know, I just wanna say that I really love you guys. You really are the best!" Taylor said, making the girls come together for a group hug.

On the other end of the room, Gabriella Montez and Michelle Richards smiled at the sight that had befallen upon them. They looked at each other and giggled as they looked back to their friends who pretended to be crying. Gabriella quickly recovered from the situation and stopped. She looked back at Michelle and frowned a little. She glanced at her watch and sighed.

"Hey, Mitch, can I talk to you for a second?" Gabriella asked, making Mitch look at her in question. "Just outside."

"Sure," Michelle said as they walked out of the classroom. "What's up?"

"Mitch, I know all about the moving and stuff. So, let's just get things out in the open here, okay? Look, you can't do this, Mitch. You can't just leave without telling everybody."

"Gabriella, I don't know how you found out about this but I'm guessing Troy told you about it. And about me not telling everyone about this, I know it's wrong, but I will tell them, eventually."

"Michelle, you're leaving six hours from now! When do you plan on telling them?"

"Gaby, it's not that easy. I had a hard time telling Troy, how do you think I would feel if I tell everyone else? Believe me, Gabriella, of all the people in this school I am the one who is feeling the worst."

"Then don't go, Mitch. Stay with us."

"I can't, Gabriella. As much as I want to stay, I just can't leave my parents."

"What about Ryan then? Are you just gonna leave without telling him?"

"There are some things that are better left unsaid, Gabriella. Please, this is already hard for me. But I'm trying to make it my best day. I love you guys so much and I'm really going to miss you all."

Gabriella felt tears falling down from her eyes as she watched Michelle sob. She walked over to her and both girls hugged. Suddenly, Sharpay, Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha all walked out of the room and hugged the both of them. They heard everything Gabriella and Michelle had said. Michelle and Gabriella didn't say a word but let themselves and the girls sob together.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Applegate, Henry," Troy heard Ms. Darbus call out the name of their classmate.

It was finally the ceremony itself and Troy and the gang was situated in a long file by the stairs beside the stage of the auditorium. Troy sighed as he glanced up in front of him and saw that it was a long queue. He looked behind him and saw Gabriella smiling at him. He waved and smiled back at her.

"Baylor, Zeke," he heard Ms. Darbus say and watched as Zeke accepted his diploma. "Bolton, Troy."

Troy was startled to hear his name being called but immediately walked up the stairs. He smiled sheepishly at Ms. Darbus who handed him his diploma. He shook hands with the principal and looked at the audience inside the auditorium. He waved shyly at his parents and smiled. He bowed a little before proceeding to leave the stage.

He sighed as he got back to his seat and gave Zeke a high-five before sitting down. Troy watched as his classmates all took their diplomas one-by-one and couldn't help but look back to his first day at East High. Everything just happened so fast. Some memories have become blurred over time. _Wow, I can't believe that I just got my diploma right herewith me. Next fall, I'm already a college freshman. I'm really gonna miss East High. And this auditorium too. God, this is one heck of a life. I wonder if there're also musicale auditions at UofA._ (**AN**: On the following lines, I'll just be focusing on the six main characters of the movie. Namely, Troy, Gaby, Ryan, Shar, Chad, and Taylor for their thoughts. It will be such a hassle and a total waste of time to include everyone else.)

"Danforth, Chad," Chad heard Ms. Darbus call out. He got up immediately and took his diploma, thanking Ms. Darbus in the process. He smiled as he bowed down and left the stage. He gave his friends a 'yeah!' cheer before sitting down. _A graduate, how cool is that? Finally, after such a long time we finally have graduated high school. Next up, University of Albuquerque basketball varsity team! Yeah!_

"Evans, Ryan." Ryan walked up the stage and took his diploma. He smiled sweetly at the crowd before bowing and going down the stairs. He gave the guys a thumbs-up before setting down on his seat. _Goodbye. My high school diploma, finally! I never thought I'd graduate. Now all I gotta do is sit back and enjoy summer with my friends._

"Evans, Sharpay." Sharpay walked up and smiled ever so cheerfully as Ms. Darbus and everybody else as she took her diploma. She bowed and waved her hand in a form of thanks. She continued to wave as she went down the stage. She giggled as she smiled at her friends before sitting down beside her brother. _Goodbye, my precious auditorium. I know you will be losing one of your best talents. Oh, wait, I'm the best there is. But anyway, I'm going to miss you, auditorium. But a talent like mine just can't stay in a small place such as this. I need to share to the whole world the beauty that is me and my talents. Farewell!_

"McKessie, Taylor." Taylor smiled as she bowed down and walked off the stage. She was so proud of herself that she had managed to stay on the honors list. She was so happy when she sat down on her seat and waited for Gabriella's name to be called. _Okay, UofA, you better be ready because the tag team of McKessie and Montez is about to come your way._

"Montez, Gabriella." Gabriella walked slowly at the center of the stage to accept her diploma from Ms. Darbus. She smiled as she handed it to her. Gabriella sighed and turned around to face the crowd who was clapping and cheering her on. She bowed down and smiled sweetly at them before leaving. She was welcomed by the smiling faces of her friends when she approached their seat positions in the auditorium. She gave Troy a big hug before going back to her seat. _My high school __diploma. It's right here in my grasp, and I got it from East High. This is one of the most memorable days of my life. I wish this day would never end._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks, Mom," Gabriella said as she gave her mother a hug. "I'll be back by ten. Don't worry, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie. Don't party too much, okay? I love you, bye," Mrs. Montez said as she waved he daughter goodbye. "Take care of her, Troy."

"Be careful, Mrs. Montez!" Troy said, waving back. "So, ready to go?"

"Troy, look over there," Gaby said, pointing towards someone. "I think Ryan's looking for her."

"Where is she?" Troy asked, looking all over the place. "I didn't see her after the ceremony."

"I think she already left. Oh, no, Troy. We gotta go find her."

"She didn't even say goodbye. We better go."

"Troy, Gabriella, where're you two going?" the couple heard their friend Sharpay asked. "We're leaving in five."

"Shar, guys, we're sorry, but we have to go catch up to Mitch," Troy answered. "We can't tell you now, but we promise that once we get back we'll tell you everything."

"Troy, look, we know," Chad said, stopping the two from walking off. "There's no explanation needed."

"You know? But how?" Troy asked, shocked.

"No time for that now, buddy. I think we should just get going and catch up to her," Zeke said.

"I heard her talking on her phone awhile ago. Saying that she'll go straight to the airport now," Kelsi said as they ran outside the school auditorium.

"We better hurry," Taylor said.

"Let's take our car. Daddy brought a van. We'll all fit in there," Sharpay said as they ran past the doors of their old classroom.

"I can't believe Michelle is leaving for LA. She didn't even say goodbye. I wonder how Ryan's taking this," Jason commented.

"Michelle is what?!" the group suddenly heard and stopped just before they reached the door of the entrance to East High.

"Ryan…" Sharpay whispered. "Bro, I think we should talk. You guys go ahead. I'll catch up with you soon."

"No, Shar, tell me here, now! You guys are not leaving until I hear an explanation," Ryan said, shouting at them. "Now tell me!"

"Ryan, calm down, okay? We'll tell you. It's just that-" Sharpay was cut-off.

"The girl you are deeply in love with is leaving for Los Angeles. Now I don't know when we can see her again. Now, if you meant everything you said last night then you won't be standing there looking like a total idiot," Troy declared, looking serious the whole time.

Ryan stood there and just stared at them. He let the words that Troy had said repeat over and over again inside his head. _The girl you are deeply in love with is leaving for Los Angeles._ _You won't just stand there looking like a total idiot._ Ryan slapped his face, waking himself from his thoughts before dashing past his friends and out of the door.

Troy was shocked at what had just happened. He looked around him before realizing everything. He chuckled and then ran after Ryan, the others close behind. He spotted him running towards a white van which he assumed was the Evans van Sharpay was talking about earlier. Troy stopped when he saw Ryan going around to the driver's seat.

"I'm driving. Now hurry up and get inside. We got no time," Ryan ordered, making everyone obey.

Troy smiled as he jumped inside the passenger's seat and watched as Ryan started the engine and drove along the road. _He's almost violating the law. But hey, it's for a cause._

"This is like one of those scenes in _Rush Hour_ were Jacky Chan and Chris Tucker were chasing some bad guys. Or like on _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_ were Brad and Angelina were being chased by some goons," Jason said, earning stares from the people.

"Kelsi, did you hear what gate she's supposed to be at?" Troy asked, holding on to his seat.

"Yeah, it's Gate G5. I think the flight time is supposed to be 5:15 in the afternoon, but boarding time's at 5," Kelsi answered. "Uhm, Ryan, could you try to slow down a minute?"

"No time. Just hang on," Ryan said, not even bothering to look at her.

"Darn it! She's not answering her phone!" Troy exclaimed, flipping back his phone.

"Okay, now could you tell me guys why she didn't even tell me about this? Why didn't you even tell me about this, Troy?!" Ryan asked.

"Ryan, listen, I wanted to tell you, really. But I realized that I was not in position to do that," Troy said, defending himself. "You gotta understand me, man. I know you're mad about this, but I can't go ahead of Mitch's decision."

"Man, I just don't get why she has to leave without even telling me about it!" Ryan exclaimed as he turned right just before the stoplight turned red. "Is that so hard to do?!"

"Maybe she has her reasons, Ryan. We really don't know," Gaby assured him. "I'm sure that really is not her intention."

Ryan remained silent and continued to concentrate on the road. He didn't say a word after what Gabriella had said. Troy looked behind them to his friends and gave them knowing looks. Gabriella gave him a half smile and patted his shoulder as he sighed. _Fifteen to 5._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It was a pleasure to have you here, Mr. and Mrs. Richards. We hope that you can visit Albuquerque again," a man in a corporate attire said, shaking the hand of Mrs. Richards. "I wish you a safe trip back to Los Angeles."

"Yes, thank you. Albuquerque is such a nice and quiet place. We hope that we can come back here soon," Mrs. Richards said, smiling at him as he walked off. "Are you ready, dear? We'll be boarding soon."

"Yeah, I'm ready, Mom," Michelle replied, sighing as she glanced around the airport hoping to see a familiar face or two.

"Flight CA707 bound for Los Angeles, California is now open for boarding. Please proceed to Gate G5," the Richards heard the announcer say and stood up from their seats.

Michelle walked over to the line of the Business Class and sighed. It was 5 in the afternoon and they were now boarding. She smiled as she reached the lady taking the boarding passes and handed her the boarding pass. Just as she was about to walk away, she heard her name being called and turned around abruptly.

"Michelle! Stop! Wait!" Ryan Evans called out as he saw the only person he had been looking for.

"Ryan, you guys, what are you doing here?" Michelle asked as they reached her. "And you're all still wearing your graduation togas. You know, guys, talk about a total violation of the fashion rule."

"Mitch, okay, just shut up and listen to me. Why are you leaving without even telling me?"

"Oh, oh, Ryan, listen, I…"

"I mean, why tell Troy Bolton about this and not even bother to tell me? Are you in love with Troy or something?!"

"Woah! There is nothing like that! Look, Ryan, the reason why I was not able to tell you is that I can't. I couldn't face you. Listen, you mean a lot to me and all…"

"I love you," Ryan Evans suddenly declared as he took her hands to his, making everyone turn suddenly at him. "I love you, Michelle Olivia Richards."

"Thank you, Ryan. Thank you so much for that. I really appreciate it. Your love, your support, your help – all of it have been my strength throughout my whole stay here at Albuquerque and at East High. And I love you guys too. I love you all so much."

"No, no, Mitch. You don't understand! I love you! I love you so much! I love you with-"

"Yes, Ryan, and thank you. But, I really have to go. My flight's leaving any minute and I don't want to be the cause of delay."

"Mitch, hey, you gotta give the guy some time to talk!" Troy said, interrupting her from leaving.

"Okay, look, I know this is the worst way of leaving. You guys have been such a great bunch to me and I really, really love you all. Thank you for making my stay at East High the best. I loved every moment of my stay here and I'm really happy that I was able to meet all of you. Each one of you has become part of my life and no one can change that. And leaving is just another phase in my life. This is not goodbye, guys. I promise you I'll come back someday."

"No, look, listen to me, Mitch. You have to understand what I am trying to say here," Ryan said, looking directly in her eyes. "I love you."

"Flight CA707 bound to Los Angeles, California will be departing in 5 minutes. Attention to all passengers who have not yet boarded. The gates will be closed in a few minutes. Thank you," the gang heard the PA system say.

"Guys, I have to go now. Look, I'll call as soon as I get home, okay?" Mitch said, breaking away from Ryan's grasp.

Mitch walked over each and every one of them and gave them a hug. She felt tears forming in her eyes as she broke apart from her hug with Gabriella, but she tried to hold it in. She smiled as she felt Troy's hug tighten around her and suddenly broke apart. She walked up to Ryan and gave him a small smile before hugging him. Ryan stared nonchalantly into nothing as he hugged her. He couldn't believe it was really happening. As Mitch pulled away, Ryan felt his stomach do somersaults. He looked at her and saw her half smiling at him. She sighed and glanced at everyone before taking off past the personnel.

Ryan watched as Michelle walked away from them, from him. He felt himself stoned to the ground and couldn't move. He knew he wanted to stop her but he just couldn't feel his body cooperating. _I...I…this is goodbye._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, what are you doing here alone?" Troy Bolton asked his girlfriend as he walked and sat beside her on the backyard of the Evans mansion. "The party's inside."

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to be here. It's nice out here, you know. It's quiet. It helps me think," Gabriella said as Troy wrapped his arms around her. "Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about how you would feel if I were to leave Albuquerque after this year?"

"Honestly, I haven't. But not because I don't expect you to leave, which I really hope I would never expect to. I just, you know, I don't want to think about it. It's not a good thought. Why?"

"It's just that after seeing Ryan out there awhile ago, running so fast to stop the girl her loved from leaving, I just thought that what if I was the one leaving. Would Troy Bolton even bother to stop me?"

"Well, I won't stop you if that is something I cannot change. I mean, I won't contradict your mom's decisions."

"You won't stop me from leaving?"

"Yeah, I won't stop you because I would rather just go with you there. I mean, look, Gaby, I'm sure whatever your mom decides for you it's just for the best. And if leaving Albuquerque and moving to some place else is what she thinks is the best than I won't stop her. I'd just follow you there. You know I can't live a life without you now. I love you too much."

"I love you too, Troy. And don't worry. I won't leave you. My mom said that if ever her company transfers her again, she'd request not to be transferred anymore. She got tired of having to move so much. Plus, she knows I'd be much happier here - happy with the environment, happy with my friends, and happy with my ever-loving boyfriend Troy Bolton."

"Don't ever leave me, Gaby," Troy whispered as they kissed. "I would die if you do."

"I won't, Troy. I will never do," Gaby said as she continued to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you," Troy said back as they enjoyed the night sky wrapped in each other's arms. _I'll never leave you too, Gabriella. Never._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Finished! Yeah! I hope you liked it. Please, please, please, review!!! I know it's a little bittersweet ending for Ryan, but I don't know. I guess I just love bittersweet endings. I don't know if I'll make a sequel or just an epilogue, but this is seriously done! Please review! I would really appreciate it. Thanks to everyone who bothered to read this. I know it's not that good but I'm proud of it. Hey, it's my work! So, that's it. I'm not really a big fan of _High School Musical 1 or 2_ but I enjoy watching it. So, okay. I'm stopping now. Please review!


End file.
